THE  J.  PAUL  GETTY  MUSEUM  LIBRARY 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2017  with  funding  from 
Getty  Research  Institute 


https://archive.org/details/catalogueofloaneOOfkle_O 


CATALOGUE 

of  a  ^1}^  ' 

Loan  Exhibition 
of 

ITALIAN  PRIMITIVES 

in  aid  of  the 

American  War  Relief 


By  Osvald  Siren  and 
Maurice  W.  Brockwell 


F.  KLEINBERGER  GALLERIES,  Inc. 
725  FIFTH  AVENUE 

NOVEMBER  1917 


* 


PREFACE 


As  at  present  arranged,  this  remarkable  collection 
of  Italian  Primitive  Paintings  will  be  on  public  view 
only  from  November  12th  to  the  last  day  of  the  month. 

The  gross  receipts  taken  for  admission  to  the  Exhibi¬ 
tion,  and  the  proceeds  from  the  sale  of  the  Illustrated 
Catalogue  will  be  presented  to  the  American  War 
Relief. 

We  wish  to  place  on  record  our  thanks  to  the  many 
owners  who,  by  lending  their  valuable  pictures,  have 
enabled  us  to  organize  such  an  Exhibition. 

F.  Kleinberger, 

E.  M.  Sperling. 


[3] 


LIST  OF  CONTRIBUTORS 


No.  in 

Artist  Catalogue 

Frank  L.  Babbott,  Esq. 

Taddeo  Gaddi  .......  2 

Lorenzo  Monaco  . 13 

Pietro  di  Domenico . 67 

Giovanni  Francesco  da  Rimini  .  79 

George  and  Florence  Blumenthal 

Follower  of  Duccio . 41 

Francesco  di  Giorgio  ....  64 

Follower  of  Fra  Filippo  Lippi  .  .  22 

Simone  Martini . 44 

Capt.  R.  Langton  Douglas 

Segna  di  Bonaventura  ....  43 

Taddeo  di  Bartolo . 49 

Michael  Dreicer,  Esq. 

Pier  Francesco  Fiorentino  ...  32 

Francesco  Granacci  ....  36 

Domenico  Morone . 91 

Michael  Friedsam,  Esq. 

Angelo  Bronzino . 39 

Ridolfo  Ghirlandaio  ....  38 

Bastiano  Mainardi . 25 

Marco  Palmezzano . 95 

Jacopo  Tintoretto . 99 

Antonio  da  Viterbo . 81 

Miss  Belle  Greene 

Bernardo  Daddi . 4 

Margaritone  d’Arezzo  ....  1 

[5] 


Estate  of  Mrs.  Ferdinand  Hermann 


Sano  di  Pietro . 62 

Otto  H.  Kahn,  Esq. 

Benedetto  Bonfigii . 76 

Sandro  Botticelli . 26 

Pietro  Cavallini . 69 

Lorenzo  di  Credi . 33 

Agnolo  Gaddi . 9 

Neroccio . 65 

Philip  Lehman,  Esq. 

Niccolo  di  Buonacorso  ....  53 

Andrea  Orcagna . 5 

Francesco  Pesellino  ( ?)  ....  19 

Segna  di  Bonaventura  ....  42 

Simone  Martini . 45 

Simone  Martini . 46 

Domenico  Veneziano  ....  20 

Bartolommeo  Vivarini  ....  69 


Adolph  Lewisohn,  Esq. 

Raffaellino  del  Garbo  .  .  .  .35 

William  G.  Mather,  Esq. 

Giovanni  Antonio  Boltraffio  .  .  85 

J.  Pierpont  Morgan,  Esq. 

Fra  Angelico . 18 

Andrea  del  Castagno  .  .  .  .  21 

Domenico  Ghirlandaio  ....  24 

Bartolommeo  Vivarini  ....  88 


[6] 


Dan  Fellows  Platt,  Esq. 

Jacopo  degli  Avanzi  ....  74 

Benvenuto  di  Giovanni  ....  66 

Bernardo  Daddi . 3 

Vincenzo  Foppa . 84 

Guido  da  Siena . 40 

Ambrogio  Lorenzetti  ....  48 

Pacchiarotto . 68 

Sassetta  (Stefano  di  Giovanni)  .  52 

Parri  Spinelli . 16 

A.  Kingsley  Porter,  Esq. 


Bartolommeo  di  Giovanni  ...  30 

Niccolo  di  Pietro  Gerini  .  .  .11 

Gregorio  Schiavone . 90 

Jacopo  di  Cione . 7 

Harold  I.  Pratt,  Esq. 

Giovanni  Baronzio  da  Rimini  .  .  70 

Sassetta  (Stefano  di  Giovanni)  .  .  51 

Cosimo  Tura  .  78 

Martin  A.  Ryerson,  Esq. 

Giovanni  di  Paolo  (Six  Panels)  54-59 
Piero  Pollaiuolo . 27 

Paul  J.  Sachs,  Esq. 

Giovanni  di  Paolo . 60 

Francesco  di  Giorgio  ....  63 

Mrs.  Benjamin  Thaw 

Fiorenzo  di  Lorenzo  ....  80 


Simone  Martini . 47 

Cosimo  Rosselli . 31 

[7] 


PAGES 


I  Florentine  School . 10-106 

II  Sienese  School  .  . 110-174 

III  Central  Italian  Schools  .  .  .  178-206 

IV  Lombard  School  ......  210-214 

V  Venetian  and  Other  North  Italian 


Schools . 218-250 

VI  Sicilian  School .  253-254 


I 


FLORENTINE  SCHOOL 


MARGARITONE  D’AREZZO 
(Active  1260-1290) 


No.  1  The  Madonna  and  Child 

Small  figure,  at  three-quarter  length,  of  the  Virgin 
in  her  traditional  robes  with  hooded  mantle.  Reclin¬ 
ing  in  her  arms,  the  Infant  is  seen  at  her  breast. 

Wood,  arched,  10^4  by  IV2  inches. 

Like  most  of  the  painters  of  the  Duegento,  Margari- 
tone  d’Arezzo  has  not  yet  been  well  defined  as  an  ar¬ 
tistic  personality.  Yet  we  know  the  general  trend  and 
character  of  his  art  from  signed  pictures  of  St.  Francis, 
and  from  the  altarpiece  in  the  National  Gallery  in 
London.  This  little  picture  belongs  to  the  same  group. 
It  may  be  attributed  to  Margaritone,  if  his  name  is  used 
in  a  rather  collective  sense,  covering  his  bottega  works 
as  well  as  his  individual  creations. 


Lent  by  Miss  Belle  Greene. 


[10] 


No.  1.  MARGARITONE 


TADDEO  GADDI 
( 1300?- 1366) 


No.  2  The  Madonna  and  Child,  with  Saints 
(Triptych) 

The  Virgin  is  enthroned,  the  Infant  standing  on  Her 
left  knee.  On  either  side  are  Saints,  some  of  whom  are 
hardly  seen  and  unidentifiable;  these  include  on  the 
left,  St.  Peter;  on  the  right,  St.  Catharine  and  St.  Paul. 

On  the  left  wing  (I)  the  Nativity;  (II)  the  Annun¬ 
ciation  to  the  Shepherds;  and  (III)  the  Archangel 
Gabriel.  On  the  right  wing  (I)  Christ  on  the  Cross, 
and  (II)  the  Annunciate  Virgin. 

Wood,  arched;  the  centre  panel  15  by  7^  inches. 

The  wings  16^  by  4  inches  each. 

Siren:  “Giotto  and  Some  of  His  Followers,”  pp. 
149-150. 

This  little  Triptych  so  vividly  recalls  Bernardo 
Daddi’s  small  altar-pieces  that  it  has  been  ascribed  to 
Bernardo,  even  by  prominent  critics.  In  our  opinion, 
however,  it  shows  fundamental  divergences  from  Ber¬ 
nardo’s  style,  and  a  likeness  to  Taddeo  Gaddi. 

Of  the  greatest  importance  in  this  respect  is  the 
lack  of  space  in  the  center  panel.  The  throne  of  the 
Madonna  stands  so  close  to  the  foreground  that  there 
is  no  room  in  front  of  it  for  more  than  one  Saint  on  each 
side;  and  of  the  other  figures,  which  are  arranged  in 
rows  upon  the  background,  we  see  very  little.  Of  the 
foremost,  the  heads  alone  are  visible,  and  of  the  re¬ 
mainder  only  the  halos  appear  and  they  are  piled  up 

D3] 


behind  each  other.  The  artist  has  given  no  suggestion 
of  their  positions  or  of  their  bodily  reality.  The  effect 
is  decorative  in  an  ornamental  sense,  but  devoid  of 
plastic  values. 

Of  the  Scenes  on  the  wings,  the  Nativity  is  particu¬ 
larly  interesting,  as  it  shows  a  picturesque  variation  of 
the  old  iconographical  motive.  Mary  is  placed,  half 
reclining,  in  a  naturalistic  pose.  Joseph  sits  sleeping, 
and  the  shepherd  on  the  mountain  listens  behind  the 
shed  to  the  message  of  the  angels,  who  soar  in  the  sky. 
The  subdued  coloring  suggests  a  night  effect.  This 
composition  shows  more  originality  than  the  central 
picture.  The  dependence  upon  Giotto  and  Bernardo 
is  less  evident.  It  is  a  very  early  work  of  Taddeo’s,  and 
closely  connected  with  his  small  panels  in  the  Acca- 
demia  in  Florence;  it  is  probably  more  refined  than 
any  other  work  by  the  painter  at  present  known. 


Lent  by  Frank  L.  Babbott,  Esq. 


[H] 


No.  2.  TADDEO  GADDI 


No.  3.  BERNARDO  DADDI 


BERNARDO  DADDI 
(Active  1310-1350) 


No.  3  Christ  on  the  Cross 

The  Magdalene  clasps  the  foot  of  the  Cross,  on 
which  hangs  the  Crucified.  Angels  catch  in  sacred  ves¬ 
sels  the  blood  which  issues  from  the  wounds.  On  the 
left  the  Virgin  is  supported  by  St.  John  and  others.  On 
the  right  other  figures  regard  the  dread  scene. 

Wood,  12 by  7%  inches. 

Reproduced  in  Siren:  “Giotto  and  Some  of  His 
Followers”  (1917). 


Lent  by  Dan  Fellows  Platt,  Esq , 


BERNARDO  DADDI 


(Active  1310-1350) 

No.  4  The  Madonna  and  Child,  with  Saints 

The  Virgin  enthroned  holds  the  Infant  against  her 
left  side.  On  the  left  St.  John  the  Baptist,  and  further 
back  St  Anthony;  on  the  right  St.  Nicholas,  and  at  the 
back  St.  Francis. 

Wood,  arched  at  the  top,  \7*4  by  8*4  inches. 

The  two  small  pictures  by  Bernardo  Daddi  now 
shown  are  both  very  early  works.  The  Madonna  cor¬ 
responds  in  composition  and  style  very  closely  with  the 
small  Madonna  pictures  in  the  museum  at  Naples,  and 
in  the  Herbert  P.  Horne  Collection  in  Florence,  both 
fully  discussed  in  Siren’s  “Giotto  and  Some  of  His 
Followers.”  It  is  surprising  what  a  great  number 
of  small  Madonnas  Bernardo  had  time  and  opportunity 
to  execute.  There  must  have  been  a  great  demand  for 
these  portable  domestic  altarpieces,  and  Bernardo  cer¬ 
tainly  made  a  specialty  of  this  type  of  picture.  Judging 
from  the  charactertistic  design  and  the  figure  drawing, 
the  Madonna  must  be  dated  between  1330-1336.  Later 
on  Bernardo’s  figure  style  becomes  more  ample  and 
somewhat  heavier. 

The  Crucifixion  in  Mr.  Platt’s  collection  is  shortly 
discussed  in  the  above  mentioned  book.  It  is  also  a 
rather  early  work,  refined  and  delicate,  possessing  inde¬ 
scribable  charm  of  miniature-like  exactitude  in  tech¬ 
nique  and  a  very  sensitive  feeling  for  its  human  import. 


Lent  by  Miss  Belle  Greene. 


[18] 


No.  4.  BERNARDO  DADDI 


ANDREA  ORCAGNA 
(1308-1368). 


No.  5  The  Madonna  and  Child 

Mary  sits  low  on  a  cushion,  with  one  leg  bent  under 
her;  on  the  other  knee,  which  is  raised,  she  supports 
the  Child,  who  lies  stiff  and  straight  in  her  lap,  reach¬ 
ing  out  his  hand  to  her  breast.  Mary  bends  her  head 
a  little  to  one  side  and  looks  down  at  the  Child,  while 
He  turns  His  face  away  and  looks  at  someone,  who 
has  distracted  His  attention,  with  a  broad  smile.  Four 
small  Angels  float  on  either  side  of  the  Madonna’s  head 
in  silent  adoration,  and,  above,  God  the  Father  descends 
to  give  His  blessing.  The  Madonna  wears  a  bright 
blue  mantle  and  a  gold-brocaded  garment;  the  Child 
is  wrapped  in  a  brocaded  coverlet,  and  the  angels  have 
light  tunics,  decorated  with  fine  gold  ornaments. 
Wood,  54  by  27  inches. 

Siren:  “Giotto  and  His  Followers,”  pp.  224-225. 

In  style  the  Madonna  approaches  most  nearly  to 
the  St.  Catharine  of  the  Strozzi  altarpiece;  it  is  a  simi¬ 
lar  full-length  strong  figure,  the  same  elongated  face 
with  straight  nose,  long  almond-shaped  eyes,  and  wide 
forehead.  The  turn  of  the  head  is  also  characteristic, 
and  the  big  well-formed  hands  are  noteworthy.  Both 
the  types  and  the  general  style  place  this  between  the 
Budapest  Madonna  and  the  Strozzi  altarpiece.  If  the 
former  is  to  be  dated  in  the  middle  forties  and  the  latter 
in  the  middle  fifties,  this  Madonna  can  be  put  at  about 
1350.  The  sculptural  character  is  here  less  striking 

[21] 


than  in  the  earlier  Madonnas,  especially  on  account  of 
the  freer  compositional  form,  which  produces  a  softer 
rhythm  of  line;  the  modeling  also  seems  unusually  sup¬ 
ple  and  delicate.  From  the  purely  pictorial  point  of 
view,  this  painting  may  be  designated  as  one  of  Andrea’s 
most  important  works,  and  fortunately  it  has  been  pre¬ 
served  intact.  It  is  also  evident  that  this  Madonna 
attained  special  fame,  as  two  different  Trecento  copies 
of  it  exist  in  Florence.  The  first,  an  entirely  faithful 
reproduction  done  a  score  of  years  after  Orcagna’s  pic¬ 
ture,  is  in  the  Uffizi  storeroom.  It  is  in  the  same  form 
as  the  original  and  shows  the  copyist’s  attempt  at  fidel¬ 
ity,  but  the  figure-drawing  is  stiffer.  The  other  copy, 
seen  at  a  Florentine  art  dealer’s  some  years  ago,  is  a 
somewhat  altered  and  reduced  version — the  Angels  and 
God  the  Father  are  left  out,— and  produced  by  a  Flor¬ 
entine  painter  about  1400.  It  would  be  very  interesting 
to  know  where  the  original  was  formerly  placed,  and 
how  it  earned  its  great  reputation. 


Lent  by  Philip  Lehman,  Esq. 


[22] 


No.  5.  ANDREA  ORCAGNA 


NARDO  DI  CIONE 
(Active  1340-1365) 


No.  6  The  Crucifixion 

The  Cross  is  erected  in  rocky  ground;  at  the  foot 
of  it  kneels  Mary  Magdalene,  who  embraces  the  feet 
of  Christ  which  rests  on  the  suppedaneum.  On  the  left 
are  the  Marys  and  St.  John,  and  a  soldier  on  horse¬ 
back.  On  the  right  is  the  Centurion  Longinus  with 
another  horseman;  the  soldiers  are  casting  lots  for  the 
raiment.  High  above  the  cross  is  the  pelican,  billing  its 
breast. 

Wood,  28  by  12%  inches. 

The  composition  of  the  picture  is  in  many  ways 
unusual.  The  figures  are  arranged  on  the  steps  of  a 
rock  in  different  vertical  planes,  almost  as  in  a  stone 
relief.  The  combination  of  bright  yellow,  blue  and 
red  is  very  effective  and  original,  and  therefore  seldom 
met  with  in  Trecento  pictures.  Only  in  the  works  of 
Andrea  Orcagna  and  his  elder  brother,  Nardo  di  Cione, 
do  we  find  similar  compositions  and  arrangements  of 
colour.  We  may  especially  here  compare  Orcagna’s 
small  picture  representing  the  Adoration  of  the  Magi 
in  the  Jarves  Collection  at  New  Haven.  The  compo¬ 
sition  is  there  built  up  on  similar  principles.  The 
types,  however,  are  different  from  those  in  Orcagna’s 
works  and  correspond  most  closely  to  the  types  which 
we  find  in  the  Paradise  frescoes  of  the  Capella  Strozzi 
in  Sta.  Maria  Novella,  Florence,  which  were  painted 
by  Nardo. 

[25] 


JACOPO  DI  CIONE 
(Active  1360-1390) 


No.  7  The  Coronation  of  The  Virgin 

The  Madonna,  in  red  robe  and  white  mantel  orna¬ 
mented  with  blue  and  gold,  is  in  profile  to  the  right 
with  her  hands  crossed  before  her  breast.  On  the 
other  side  is  Christ.  These  two  small  full  length  fig¬ 
ures  are  enthroned  under  a  canopy,  which  is  covered 
with  red  and  gold  brocade  and  supported  on  either  side 
by  an  angel.  In  the  sky,  with  its  gold  background,  flies 
on  the  left  a  cherub  and  on  the  right  a  seraph. 

In  the  lower  portion  of  the  principal  composition, 
and  on  the  left  of  the  step  of  the  throne,  are  St.  John 
the  Baptist  and  St.  James;  behind  them,  and  slightly 
higner,  are  half  length  figures  of  St.  Paul  and  St.  Peter. 
These  figures  are  balanced  on  the  right  by  St.  Law¬ 
rence  and  St.  John  the  Evangelist,  behind  whom  are  St. 
Catharine  and  St.  Agnes.  In  the  centre  foreground,  be¬ 
fore  the  steps  of  the  throne,  kneel  two  musician  angels; 
the  one  plays  on  the  bag  pipes,  the  other  on  a  viola. 
The  figures  are  nimbed,  seen  against  a  gold  background 
and  placed  on  an  ornamented  carpet. 

The  predella  is  decorated  with  Christ  in  the  tomb, 
flanked  by  the  Virgin  and  St.  John. 

Wood,  arched  top,  26%  by  16%  inches. 

Lent  by  A.  Kingsley  Porter,  Esq. 


[26] 


No.  7.  JACOPO  DI  CIONE 


JACOPO  DI  CIONE 
(Active  1360-1394) 


No.  8.  The  Madonna  and  Child,  with  Saints  and 
Angels  (A  Triptych) 

The  Virgin,  seated  on  a  gold  and  tasseled  cushion 
which  is  placed  on  a  throne  spread  with  a  richly  bro¬ 
caded  cloth  of  honour,  holds  the  Child  who  stands  on 
her  lap.  He,  with  His  right  hand,  clutches  the  edge 
of  the  Madonna’s  robe  at  the  top.  In  the  foreground 
are  two  musician  angels. 

On  the  left  wing  are  St.  John  the  Baptist,  with  his 
cross;  and  St.  Bernard,  in  monastic  robes,  holds  a  pen 
and  a  red  bound  book. 

On  the  right  wing  are  St.  Michael,  in  armour  and 
with  the  scales,  standing  on  the  dragon;  and  St.  Bar¬ 
tholomew,  with  his  knife  and  book. 

The  centre  panel,  57  by  30^2  inches. 

Each  side  panel,  47^4  by  22  inches. 

This  and  the  preceding  picture  represent  Jacopo  di 
Cione  under  different  aspects,  the  one  being  a  beautiful 
little  devotional  picture  probably  intended  for  some 
private  chapel,  and  the  other  a  large  Triptych  which 
must  have  decorated  the  altar  of  some  large  church. 
Yet,  both  must  be  dated  at  about  the  same  period  of 
Jacopo’s  activity,  that  is  to  say,  between  1365-1373. 


[29] 


They  are  still  Orcagnaesque  in  a  general  way,  though 
evidently  not  painted  during  the  life  time  of  Orcagna. 
On  the  other  hand  they  are  earlier  than  those  late  works 
which  Jacopo  di  Cione  executed  after  he  had  come 
under  the  influence  of  that  rather  commercial  producer, 
Niccolo  di  Pietro  Gerini.  Both  of  these  pictures  are 
mentioned  in  the  catalogue  of  Jacopo’s  works  in  Siren’s 
“Giotto  and  His  Followers.” 


[30] 


No.  8.  JACOPO  DI  CIONE 


No.  9.  AGNOLO  GADDI 


AGNOLO  GADDI 
(1333-1396) 

No. 9  An  Allegory:  A  Votive  Picture 

Full  length;  smaller  than  life  size.  The  principal 
figure,  in  a  dark  blue  dress  superbly  decorated  with  gold 
and  richly  bordered,  is  seated  on  a  golden  throne  which 
is  inlaid  with  white  and  red.  The  portion  of  her  robe 
covering  the  centre  of  her  breast  has  a  gold  insertion, 
figured  with  a  small  Amor.  Turning  slightly  to  the 
right,  she  tells  on  her  fingers  the  points  of  her  argu¬ 
ment  with  the  red-gowned  St.  Cosmo  and  St.  Damian, 
who  stand  on  a  lower  step  in  the  foreground.  On  the 
left  kneel  a  nun  and  a  girl;  a  red  cross  is  patterned  on 
their  breast. 

Wood,  21  by  17  inches. 

This  little  picture  is  of  unusual  interest,  both  by  its 
theme  and  through  its  decorative  brilliance.  It  has 
probably  been  a  votive  offering  to  some  hospital  chapel. 
The  donors  kneeling  to  the  left,  dressed  in  white  robes 
with  a  red  cross  on  their  breasts,  are  evidently  mem¬ 
bers  of  some  religious  organization  devoted  to  hospital 
work;  this  is  further  emphasized  by  the  two  Saints  on 
the  right,  Cosmo  and  Damian,  the  young  doctors  and 
protectors  of  hospitals.  The  enthroned  female  figure 
may  be  explained  as  a  kind  of  Caritas;  she  is  perhaps 
an  allegorical  personification  of  the  protectress  of  some 
municipal  hospital,  or  private  corporation. 

The  attribution  of  the  picture  to  Agnolo  Gaddi  is 
of  importance,  because  it  lifts  the  master  to  a  higher 
level  than  that  marked  by  the  works  usually  ascribed 
to  him.  Agnolo’s  personality  is  still  rather  obscure, 
but  to  set  out  a  stylistic  analysis  of  his  art  would  take 
up  too  much  space. 

Lent  by  Otto  H.  Kahn,  Esq. 

[33] 


GHERARDO  STARNINA 
(1354-1408) 

No.  10  The  Madonna  and  Child,  with  Angels 

The  Madonna,  in  a  brocaded  and  patterned  robe, 
leans  her  head  forward  to  the  left  as  she  reclines  on  a 
tasseled  cushion  of  gold  material  of  fine  texture.  The 
cushion  is  placed  on  a  bright  red  carpet  on  a  mosaic 
floor.  She  presses  to  her  side  the  Child,  who  leans  His 
head  near  her  right  breast.  On  either  side  are  angels, 
graduated  in  three  ascending  pairs.  The  uppermost 
pair  hold  the  crown  above  the  Virgin’s  head.  The 
nimbi  are  patterned,  and  strongly  incised  on  a  gold 
ground. 

Wood,  arched  at  the  top,  33%  by  19%  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  collection  of  Rodolphe  Kann, 
Paris,  where  it  was  catalogued  as  of  the  School  of 
Giotto.  (“Catalogue,”  Vol.  II,  No.  122.) 

Exhibited  at  the  Burlington  Fine  Arts  Club,  1904, 
No.  69,  as  from  the  School  of  Agnolo  Gaddi. 

Mentioned  as  a  work  by  “II  Compagno  di  Agnolo 
Gaddi”  in  Siren:  “Lorenzo  Monaco,”  p,  41. 

This  is  a  characteristic  work  by  a  painter  known  as 
“II  Compagno  di  Agnolo,”  a  name  which  hints  at  his 
close  connection  with  Agnolo  Gaddi.  The  reasons  why 
this  “Compagno”  may  be  identified  with  Gherardo 
Stamina  are  shortly  stated  in  the  Jarves  “Catalogue,” 
where  several  of  his  works  are  mentioned.  They  are 
all  characterized  by  great  uniformity  of  type  and 
colour,  so  that  no  mistake  as  to  the  artistic  personality 
is  possible.  This  painter  collaborated  with  Agnolo 
Gaddi  in  Sta.  Croce,  where  he  executed  the  frescoes  on 
the  Cappella  Castellani,  said  by  Vasari  to  be  Stamina’s 
work.  Later  on  he  journeyed  to  Spain.  He  was  back 
in  Florence  in  1387.  The  last  works  known  by  Stamina 
are  certain  frescoes,  executed  in  1408  in  St.  Stefano 
at  Empoli.  The  present  picture  probably  dates  from 
the  end  of  the  Fourteenth  Century. 


[34] 


No.  10.  GHERARDO  STARNINA 


No.  11.  NICCOLO  D1  PIETRO  GERINI 


NICCOLO  DI  PIETRO  GERINI 
(Active  1390-1400) 


No.  11  The  Madonna  and  Child 

Three-quarter  length  figure  of  the  Virgin,  standing 
and  turned  three-quarters  to  the  right.  In  her  tradi¬ 
tional  robes  and  a  richly  jeweled  crown,  she  gives  the 
breast  to  the  Infant,  who  is  enveloped  in  a  drapery 
ornamented  with  golden  stars,  and  rests  on  her  left  arm. 

Wood,  arched  and  cusped,  23  by  18  inches. 

It  is  often  difficult  to  tell  to  what  extent  pictures  at¬ 
tributable  to  the  workshop  of  Niccolo  di  Pietro  Gerini 
may  be  regarded  as  his  individual  creations,  because  the 
co-operative  method  of  painting  was  evidently  em¬ 
ployed  to  a  large  extent.  Quite  a  number  of  well 
known  artists  were  busy  in  assisting  this  much  employed 
producer  of  altar-pieces.  In  this  particular  instance 
we  may  hesitate  between  Niccolo  Gerini  and  his 
son  Lorenzo  di  Niccolo.  The  powerful  and  somewhat 
angular  drawing  of  the  figure,  as  well  as  the  type  of 
the  Virgin,  recall  certain  figures  in  the  former’s  signed 
frescoes  at  Prato  and  in  the  large  representation  of  the 
Entombment  of  Christ  in  the  Accademia  at  Florence; 
but  this  Madonna  is  unusually  pleasant  and  decorative 
for  him. 


Lent  by  A.  Kingsley  Porter,  Esq. 


[37] 


GIOVANNI  BONSI  DA  FIRENZE 

(Active  1366-1371) 


No.  12  The  Madonna  and  Child,  with  Angels 

The  enthroned  Madonna,  wearing  a  robe  of  golden 
texture  and  a  dark  blue  mantle  lined  with  green,  holds 
the  Infant  Christ  on  her  lap.  He  wears  a  red  robe  lined 
with  green,  and  a  gold  under-robe.  With  His  right 
hand  He  blesses  in  the  Greek  manner;  in  His  left  He 
holds  a  cardellino.  On  the  left  and  right  of  the  fore¬ 
ground  kneels  an  angel,  with  folded  hands.  Above  the 
throne  another  pair  of  angels  hold  up  the  red,  blue  and 
gold  cloth  of  honour.  Each  figure  is  nimbed  and  seen 
against  a  gold  background. 

The  inscription  in  the  center  of  the  lower  step  may 
be  read,  with  its  contractions: 

“Questa  tavola  a  fatta  fare 
Mona  filippa  di  do philo 
Ammanati,  moglie  charissima 
Di  puchio  di  ghetto.” 

Wood,  4 D/2  by  28  inches. 

The  present  picture  is  attributed  to  Giovanni  Bonsi 
da  Firenze,  because  of  its  striking  similarity  in  style 
with  the  large  Madonna,  bearing  his  name  and  the  date 
1372,  in  the  Vatican  Gallery.  The  points  of  contact  are 
so  close  that  there  can  be  no  hesitation  as  to  the  attri¬ 
bution,  yet  it  is  worth  noticing  that  only  these  two  paint¬ 
ings  by  the  master  are  at  present  known. 


[38] 


No.  12.  GIOVANNI  BONSI  DA  FIRENZE 


No.  1 


LORENZO  MONACO 


LORENZO  MONACO 
(Active  1370-1425) 


No.  13  The  Madonna  and  Child 

Full  length  figure  of  the  Virgin,  in  a  blue  mantle 
lined  with  yellow  and  spread  in  folds  across  her  whole 
form.  She  is  seated  on  a  cushion  of  green  and  gold 
texture.  She  holds  the  Child,  who  is  in  a  long  rose 
coloured  robe  and  holding  white  flowers  in  His  left 
hand,  on  her  raised  left  knee.  Gold  background.  A 
coat  of  arms  on  the  front  of  the  steps,  and  on  the  base 
of  each  column  that  form  the  tabernacle  setting  of  the 
picture. 

Wood,  33  by  18^4  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  collection  of  Charles  Loeser, 
Florence. 

This  Madonna  is  evidently  a  late  work  by  Lorenzo 
Monaco,  probably  painted  about  1420,  when  the  Gothic 
swing  of  his  figure  design  had  reached  its  full  develop¬ 
ment.  It  may  be  compared  with  the  Annunciation  in 
S.  Trinita  in  Florence,  or  with  certain  figures  in 
Lorenzo’s  well  known  representation  of  The  Adora¬ 
tion  of  the  Magi  in  the  Uffizi.  It  is  particularly 
interesting,  thanks  to  the  beautiful  preservation  of  the 
old  tabernacle  with  the  original  coat  of  arms  and  the 
fine  golden  ground. 

Lent  by  Frank  L.  Babbott,  Esq. 


[41] 


GIOVANNI  DAL  PONTE 
(1385-1437) 


No.  14  St.  James  and  St.  John;  The  Resurrec¬ 
tion,  and  Christ  on  the  Cross  (Two 
Wings  of  an  Altarpiece) 

In  the  dexter,  or  left  panel,  St.  James  holds  the 
pilgrim’s  staff  in  his  right  hand,  and  a  book  in  his  left. 
Above,  Christ  is  seen  rising  from  the  tomb  with  the 
Banner  of  the  Resurrection;  the  Roman  soldiers  lie 
asleep  on  the  ground. 

In  the  sinister,  or  right,  panel  St.  John  the  Baptist, 
wearing  his  camel’s  hair  coat,  holds  a  crystal  cross  with 
the  scroll  inscribed:  “Ecce  Angnus  (sic)  Dei/' 

Gold  background  with  trees.  Above,  angels  catch 
the  blood  that  issues  from  the  wounds;  the  sun  and 
moon  are  treated  symbolically. 

Wood,  each  panel,  49  by  \2l/2  inches. 

The  tall  and  powerful  figures,  with  sharply  cut 
types,  reveal  at  once  the  hand  of  a  strongly  individual 
painter.  We  know  the  same  hand  from  several  large 
altar  pieces  in  the  Uffizi,  in  the  National  Gallery  in 
London,  and  in  other  collections.  All  these  pictures 
used  to  be  ascribed  to  Jacopo  da  Casentino,  a  mistake 
caused  by  some  misleading  statements  of  Vasari,  cor¬ 
rected  by  Herbert  P.  Horne  in  an  article  in  the  Bur¬ 
lington  Magazine ,  August,  1906,  where  full  documen¬ 
tary  evidence  is  set  out  about  the  painter  Giovanni  dal 
Ponte.  He  was  a  younger  contemporary  of  Lorenzo 
Monaco,  and  one  of  the  most  interesting  transitional 
masters  of  Florence.  The  design  of  his  figures  has 
still  something  of  the  Gothic  swing,  while  the  treat¬ 
ment  of  the  folds  and  draperies  approaches  the  classic 
mode  of  the  Quattrocento. 


[42] 


No.  14.  GIOVANNI  DAL  PONTE 


No.  15 


AMBROGIO  DI  BALDESE 


AMBROGIO  DI  BALDESE 
(1352-1429) 


No.  15  The  Madonna  and  Child,  with  Saints 

The  Madonna,  in  a  richly  brocaded  tunic  and  a  dark 
blue  mantle  lined  with  green,  holds  on  her  lap  the 
Child,  who  wears  a  light  yellow  robe,  girt  at  the  waist; 
on  the  left  are  St.  Peter,  and  St.  Dominic  with  the  lily. 
On  the  right  are  St.  Paul,  with  a  sword,  and  St.  Nich¬ 
olas  with  the  three  golden  balls.  Gold  background. 

In  the  upper  portion  of  the  composition  is  Christ 
in  the  tomb,  on  the  left  is  the  Virgin,  on  the  right  St. 
John  the  Baptist. 

Wood,  arched,  22 y2  by  12^  inches. 

Ambrogio  di  Baldese  is  a  painter  who,  until  re¬ 
cently,  remained  almost  unknown.  A  partial  recon¬ 
struction  of  his  artistic  personality  may  be  found  in  the 
“Catalogue  of  the  Jarves  Collection,”  where  ten  works 
by  him  are  mentioned.  Ambrogio  belonged  to  the 
group  of  painters  who  for  some  time  were  active  under 
the  leadership  of  Niccolo  di  Pietro  Gerini,  the  enter¬ 
prising  head  of  a  large  Florentine  bottega  at  the  begin¬ 
ning  of  the  Fifteenth  Century.  We  also  know  that 
Ambrogio  worked  for  the  Florentine  Duomo,  where 
he  executed  decorative  works  in  conjunction  with  such 
painters  as  Jacopo  di  Cione,  and  Bicci  di  Lorenzo. 
In  his  best  works  he  stands  on  the  same  level  as  Gio¬ 
vanni  dal  Ponte,  and  he  may  thus  be  regarded  as  one 
of  the  links  between  the  old  Giotto  School  and  the 
Quattrocento  masters  of  Masolino’s  and  Masaccio’s 
time  and  style. 


[45] 


PARRI  SPINELLI 
(1387-1452) 


No.  16  The  Madonna  and  Child 

The  Madonna,  represented  at  full  length  and 
enthroned,  holds  the  Child  on  her  lap  and  against  her 
right  side.  On  the  left  and  right  a  seraph,  with  ex¬ 
tended  wings,  is  on  either  side  of  the  throne. 

Inscribed  above  the  frame: 

“Ave  Maria ,  Gratia  Plena” 

Wood,  38  by  17p2  inches.  Arched  in  tabernacle 
form. 

The  attribution  of  this  picture  to  Parri  Spinelli 
opens  up  the  question  as  to  whether  this  artist  should  be 
identified  with  the  artistic  personality  we  used  to  call 
“II  Maestro  del  Bambino  Vispo.”  The  problem  is  dis¬ 
cussed  in  two  articles  in  the  Burlington  Magazine, 
1914,  but  since  that  time  we  have  discovered  some  fur¬ 
ther  works  by  him  which  seem  to  confirm  our  hypothe¬ 
sis.  The  present  Madonna,  as  well  as  some  other  very 
similar  Madonnas  in  the  Museum  at  Helsingfors,  Fin¬ 
land,  and  in  the  John  G.  Johnson  collection  in  Philadel¬ 
phia,  and  elsewhere,  must  be  rather  early  works  by 
Parri,  probably  executed  shortly  after  the  death  of 
his  father,  Spinello  Aretino — that  is  to  say,  between 
1412  and  1420. 


Lent  by  Dan  Fellows  Platt,  Esq. 


[46] 


No.  16.  PARRL  SPINELLI 


No.  17.  PAOLO  DI  STEFANO 


PAOLO  DI  STEFANO  /y>*  b«**.t>'** 

(Active  1450-1478) 

No.  17  The  Madonna  and  Child,  with  Angels 

The  Virgin,  her  head  framed  in  with  her  dark  blue 
hood,  is  seated  on  a  broad  cushion  and  presses  to  her 
breast  the  Infant  Christ.  He  stands  on  her  left  knee, 

His  robe  having  a  scalloped  border  and  being  confined 
at  the  waist  by  a  girdle.  He  holds  a  bird  in  His  left 
hand,  as  He  looks  up  earnestly  into  the  eyes  of  his 
mother  and  inserts  His  right  hand  in  the  upper  part  of 
her  robe.  Angels  hold  the  crown  in  the  sky.  The 
figures  are  nimbed,  and  the  background  is  of  gold. 

Wood,  arched  at  the  top,  57  by  27^4  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  Davanzati  Palace,  Florence. 

Paolo  di  Stefano’s  name  is  known  from  a  large 
fresco  painting  now  in  the  cloister  of  St.  Apollonia  in 
Florence;  Cavalcaselle  has  also,  with  good  reason, 
attributed  to  him  a  large  picture  in  the  Pisa  Gallery, 
and  a  fresco  in  San  Miniato  al  Monte,  outside  Flor¬ 
ence.  An  intelligent  stylistic  comparison  between  these 
pictures  and  the  present  Madonna  seems  to  us  to  afford 
evidence  for  the  attribution  of  the  latter  to  Paolo  di 
Stefano.  Particularly  characteristic  of  the  painter  are 
the  large  floating  angels  with  outstretched  arms,  who 
in  the  Madonna  picture  are  holding  a  crown  over  the 
Virgin’s  head,  and  in  the  fresco  are  catching  the  blood 
of  Christ  in  golden  chalices. 


[49] 


FRA  ANGELICO 
(1387-1455) 


No.  18  Madonna  and  Child,  with  Angels 

The  Madonna,  in  a  red  tunic  and  a  blue  mantle, 
which  is  edged  with  gold  and  fastened  with  a  gold 
clasp,  is  seated  at  full  length.  On  her  right  knee  she 
rests  a  gold  vase  which  contains  a  long-stemmed  lily, 
and  white  and  red  roses.  Resting  against  her  left  side 
is  the  Infant  who,  standing  on  her  lap  with  the  leg 
raised,  holds  a  lily  in  His  left  hand.  He  wears  a  long 
rose-colored  robe,  edged  with  gold  embroidery.  The 
cloth  of  honor  is  patterned  with  gold  rosettes  set  in 
square  compartments,  and  is  held  up  at  the  corners  by 
three  angels.  The  foreground  is  of  burnished  gold;  on 
the  lower  step  is  seated,  on  the  left,  a  seraph  holding  a 
keyed  organ;  on  the  right,  a  cherub  with  a  viola. 

Wood,  arched,  37*4  by  18  inches. 

A  wedding  present  from  King  George  IV  to  King 
Leopold  1 ;  subsequently  in  the  collection  of  Leopold 
II. 

It  is  remarkable  that  this  Madonna  is  practically 
unknown  to  students.  Yet,  it  is  one  of  the  most  canoni¬ 
cal  renderings  of  the  traditional  motive  by  this  master, 
the  foremost  of  the  painters  of  the  Madonna.  We  feel 
the  spirit  of  the  pious  monk  Fra  Giovanni;  it  is  a  hie¬ 
ratic  hymn  to  the  Virgin,  though  rendered  with  rather 
less  poetry  than  devotional  reverence.  It  is  one  of  the 
least  intimately  human  compositions  by  Fra  Angelico, 
but  masterful  in  design  and  unsurpassed  in  technique. 
It  must  belong  to  a  comparatively  early  epoch  in  his 
evolution,  probably  about  1430,  when  he  painted  such 
works  as  the  Madonnas  at  Berlin  and  Parma.  In  those 
pictures  he  has  used  similar  compositions,  placing  the 
Virgin  in  a  low  position  on  a  cushion.  The  music¬ 
making  angels  remind  us  of  similar  figures  in  the  works 
of  such  transitional  masters  as  Giovanni  dal  Ponte  and 
Parri  Spinelli,  a  fact  that  also  proves  that  the  work 
must  be  of  fairly  early  date. 

Lent  by  J.  Pierpont  Morgan,  Esq. 
[so] 


No.  18.  FRA  ANGELICO 


FRANCESCO  PESELLINO(P) 

(1422-1457) 


No.  19  The  Annunciation 

(I)  In  the  left  compartment  the  Archangel  Gabriel, 
in  a  red  robe  embroidered  with  gold  and  a  blue  under¬ 
dress,  is  outlined  against  an  open  casement,  on  the  fur¬ 
ther  side  of  which  are  flowering  shrubs  and  flowrers 
set  in  a  hilly  landscape.  The  Archangel  gesticulates 
solemnly  with  both  hands,  and  inclines  towards  the 
right,  where,  high  up,  hangs  a  pink  curtain.  The  com¬ 
position  is  bounded  by  a  column  on  either  side. 

(II)  In  the  right  half  the  Virgin,  in  a  red  tunic  and 
a  mantle  edged  with  gold,  is  seated  on  a  low  throne 
placed  at  the  entrance  to  an  inner  chamber,  in  which, 
on  the  left,  is  a  window.  At  either  side  of  the  green 
wall  forming  the  background  is  a  column. 

Wood,  11^4  by  t>]/2  inches. 

The  influence  of  Fra  Angelico  is  so  evident  that  it 
need  hardly  be  pointed  out.  It  lies  mainly  in  the  gen¬ 
eral  design  of  the  whole  work.  But  the  drawing  of 
the  figures,  the  treatment  of  the  folds  and  the  hilly  land¬ 
scape  clearly  reveal  another  hand  than  that  of  the  Frate. 
The  plastic  values  of  all  these  parts  are  more  empha¬ 
sized;  the  feeling  for  form  and  organic  structure  is 
more  developed  than  is  ever  the  case  in  Fra  Angelico’s 
authentic  paintings.  Yet,  there  is  something  tentative, 
something  youthful  and  timid  in  the  whole  presenta¬ 
tion.  The  picture  seems  to  us  to  be  the  work  of  a  very 
young  master,  whose  genius  had  not  yet  quite  freed 

[S3] 


itself  from  the  bonds  of  tradition.  The  painter  may 
have  been  Pesellino,  though  at  an  earlier  stage  of  his 
development  than  is  illustrated  by  his  well-known, 
mature  works.  If  Pesellino  worked  for  some  time 
under  the  influence  of  Fra  Angelico,  before  coming 
into  closer  contact  with  Fra  Filippo,  nothing  could 
be  more  natural  than  that  he  thus  should  paint  this 
charming  Annunciation.  It  forms  a  link  between  the 
soft  and  fluent  style  of  Fra  Angelico  and  the  art  of  the 
accomplished  Renaissance  artist,  Francesco  Pesellino. 


Lent  by  Philip  Lehman,  Esq. 


[54] 


No.  19.  FRANCESCO  PESELLINO  (?) 


No.  20.  DOMENICO  VENEZIANO 


DOMENICO  VENEZIANO 
(Active  1439-1461) 


No.  20  The  Portrait  of  a  Lady 

In  profile  to  the  right,  looking  into  the  distance. 
The  hair  on  her  forehead  and  the  back  of  the  neck  has 
been  shaved.  In  her  red  head-dress  is  a  small  chain  of 
pearls.  Her  red  robe  is  richly  brocaded  in  a  large 
pattern  of  floriated  designs.  The  right  hand,  with  the 
fingers  extended,  is  raised  to  her  breast;  those  of  the 
left  point  downwards.  The  plain  background,  origin¬ 
ally  of  peacock  blue,  has  recently  been  stripped  of  a 
coat  of  unsightly  modern  paint  and  is  now  greenish. 

Wood,  21*4  by  14J4  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  Toscanelli  collection,  No.  140, 
sold  in  Florence,  April,  1883,  and  attributed  to  Piero 
della  Francesca  as  a  portrait  of  Battista  Sforza,  wife 
of  Federigo  da  Montefeltro.  (She  died  in  1472.) 
Subsequently  in  the  Edouard  Aynard  collection,  sold 
in  Paris,  December,  1913,  No.  63. 

This  portrait  of  rare  beauty  and  refinement  cor¬ 
responds  in  a  general  way,  both  in  color  and  draughts¬ 
manship,  with  such  works  by  Domenico  Veneziano  as 
the  large  altarpiece  in  the  Uffizi  and  the  predella  pic¬ 
ture  in  Berlin.  It  reveals  the  same  individual  feeling 
for  line,  and  light  transparent  tones  that  may  be 
observed  in  those  works,  but  whether  that  suffices  as  the 
basis  of  an  attribution  is  another  matter.  It  is  particu¬ 
larly  difficult  to  decide,  in  the  case  of  a  master  by  whom 
so  few  works  are  known.  A  portrait  evidently  painted 
by  the  same  hand  has  lately  entered  the  collection  of 
Mrs.  J.  L.  Gardner,  at  Boston;  it  is  better  preserved, 
but  the  composition  is  less  interesting,  as  the  hands  are 
omitted.  In  fact,  there  are  very  few  Florentine  por¬ 
traits  of  the  early  Quattrocento  with  the  hands 
included;  and,  as  far  as  we  know,  none  surpasses  the 
present  portrait  in  decorative  beauty  of  desigm 

Lent  by  Philip  Lehman,  Esq. 

[57] 


ANDREA  DEL  CASTAGNO 
( 141 0?- 1457) 


No.  21  Portrait  of  a  Young  Man 

Half  length,  three-quarters  to  the  left,  in  a  pleated 
crimson  doublet.  His  right  hand  is  raised  to  his  breast; 
the  joints  of  the  fingers  are  bent;  on  the  little  finger  is 
a  ring,  containing  a  lock  of  dark  brown  hair.  The 
figure  is  relieved  against  a  sky  background. 

Wood,  21  by  15p2  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  collection  of  the  Marchese  Torri- 
giani,  Florence. 

Subsequently  in  the  collection  of  Rodolphe  Kann, 
Paris  (“Catalogue,”  1907,  Vol.  II,  No.  120). 

E.  Michel,  in  the  Gazette  des  Beaux  Arts,  1901, 
p.  496. 

Berenson:  “Florentine  Painters,”  p.  130. 

This  is  one  of  the  supreme  works  of  Florentine 
Art.  As  a  portrait,  it  stands  practically  alone,  quite 
apart  from  other  Quattrocento  portraits.  It  should 
rather  be  compared  with  some  of  Donatello’s  bronze 
busts  than  with  paintings  of  the  time;  the  form  has  all 
the  qualities  of  a  plastic  work,  and  it  contains  the  same 
tremendous  energy  that  permeates  Donatello’s  crea¬ 
tions.  Every  line,  every  shadow  is  vibrating  with  vital 
energy, — it  is  a  dramatic  conception  of  compelling 
power.  If  we  compare  it  with  known  works  by  Andrea 
del  Castagno,  we  have  to  choose  some  of  the  younger 
Apostles  in  the  “ Cenacolo”  in  Sant’  Apollonia  in  Flor¬ 
ence.  They  show  types  of  similar  construction,  the 
same  terribilita  in  form  and  expression.  This  picture 
alone  would  be  enough  to  secure  Andrea  del  Castagno 
a  leading  place  among  Renaissance  painters;  it  reveals 
in  the  most  concentrated  form  the  fundamental  prin¬ 
ciples  of  Florentine  painting. 

Lent  by  J.  Pierpont  Morgan,  Esq. 

[58] 


No.  21.  ANDREA  DEL  CASTAGNO 


FOLLOWER  OF  FRA  FILIPPO  LIPPI 
(Active  1450-1460) 


No.  22  The  Madonna  and  Child 

The  Madonna  in  a  pink  robe,  cut  low  at  the  neck 
to  show  a  little  fine  linen  beneath,  and  a  silken  head¬ 
dress,  is  turned  nearly  in  profile  to  the  left.  She  looks 
down  tenderly  at  the  Child  who,  seen  only  to  the  breast, 
looks  towards  the  right  as  He  raises  His  right  hand  to 
His  mother’s  breast,  and  His  left  to  her  chin.  Dark 
background. 

Wood,  19  by  14}4  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  collection  of  Charles  Butler,  Lon¬ 
don,  and  subsequently  in  the  Hainauer  collection, 
Berlin. 

In  the  critical  introduction  to  the  Catalogue  of  the 
Hainauer  collection,  which  was  edited  by  Dr.  Bode  in 
1897,  the  picture  is  said  to  stand  close  to  Fra  Filippo 
Lippi  in  style,  a  statement  which  we  entirely  endorse. 
The  general  spirit  of  Fra  Filippo’s  art  is  evident  in  the 
picture,  and  the  design  is  probably  derived  from  some 
composition  by  the  Frate;  but  whether  the  picture 
should  be  accepted  as  his  own  is  more  difficult  to  decide, 
partly  because  of  its  fragmentary  condition.  The  most 
nearly  related  work  that  we  can  think  of  is  a  little 
Madonna  in  the  Pallavicini  collection  in  Rome,  tradi¬ 
tionally  called  “Lorenzo  da  Prato,”  though  presumably 
an  early  and  attractive  work  by  Zenobi  Macchiavelli. 
If  we  examine  the  morphological  details  in  that  pic- 


[61] 


ture,  such  as  the  drawing  of  the  ears,  the  eyes,  the  nose 
and  the  mouth,  we  can  observe  a  great  similarity  with 
corresponding  parts  in  the  little  Madonna  now  on 
exhibition.  These  two  pictures  may  well  have  been 
executed  by  the  same  painter.  Later  on  Machiavelli 
developed  into  a  much  less  attractive  artist;  his 
mature  works  in  the  galleries  at  London,  Dublin,  Paris, 
Pisa  and  elsewhere  are  somewhat  bulky  and  overloaded 
with  draperies.  However,  there  is  a  signed  picture  by 
him  of  St.  James  at  Berlin,  dated  1463,  which  offers 
good  support  for  the  present  attribution.  The  two 
above-mentioned  Madonnas  should  be  still  earlier,  as 
they  were  painted  under  the  direct  influence  of  Fra 
Filippo,  possibly  in  his  studio. 


Lent  by  George  and  Florence  Blumenthal 


[62] 


No.  22.  FRA  FILIPPO  LIPPI  ( ?) 


FLORENTINE  PAINTER,  ABOUT  1450 
(Known  as  “The  Cassone  Master”) 


No.  23  A  Panel  of  a  Marriage  Chest 

Front  of  a  marriage  chest,  illustrating  the  arrival 
of  a  Cavalier,  his  Betrothal,  and  the  Marriage  Feast. 
Possibly  the  arrival  of  TEnaeas  at  Dido’s  palace. 

A  procession  of  knights  and  their  attendants  in 
richly  gilded  attire,  and  on  beautifully  caparisoned 
horses  proceed  from  the  left.  On  the  right  are  the 
decorated  family  loggia,  and  the  palace  of  the  bride 
where  the  marriage  festival  takes  place.  In  the  back¬ 
ground  is  seen  a  basilica  with  gilded  doors,  and  a  renais¬ 
sance  palace.  These  two  structures  may  have  been  sug¬ 
gested  by  actual  buildings  in  Florence  about  the  middle 
of  the  Fifteenth  Century. 

Wood,  17  by  55  inches. 

The  picture  was  sold  at  the  Dollfus  sale  in  Paris, 
April,  1912.  It  has  been  reproduced  in  “ Les  Arts ” 
1904,  wrongly  attributed  to  Pesellino  and  under  the 
incorrect  title  of  “The  Marriage  of  Esther  and 
Ahasuerus.”  It  is  fully  illustrated  and  described  in 
Schubring,  “Cassoni,”  No.  191,  Plate  41. 

This  cassone  panel  comes  from  one  of  the  leading 
workshops  in  Florence  about  the  middle  of  the  Fif¬ 
teenth  Century,  where  evidently  a  great  number  of  simi¬ 
lar  decorative  pictures  were  executed.  There  are  several 
works  from  the  same  bottega  in  American  collections, 
for  instance,  one  in  the  Jarves  Collection  in  New 
Haven,  and  one  in  the  Boston  Museum,  both  illustrat¬ 
es] 


ing  the  “Visit  of  the  Queen  of  Sheba  to  Solomon,”  a 
motif  which  appears  at  least  a  dozen  times  on  cassone- 
panels  from  the  same  bottega.  This  subject  must  have 
been  regarded  as  particularly  well  fitted  for  the  decora¬ 
tion  of  bridal  chests.  It  offered  splendid  opportunity 
for  display  of  gorgeous  costumes  and  rich  ornamenta¬ 
tion,  which  also  has  been  one  of  the  principal  aims  in 
the  execution  of  the  present  composition.  As  most  of 
the  cassones,  it  represents  a  Betrothal  between  princely 
actors,  who  may  be  identified  as  iEnaeas  and  Dido. 

The  loggia,  as  well  as  the  palace,  are  evidently 
drawn  after  the  Palazzo  Medici.  The  church  in  the 
background  may  be  a  free  representation  of  S.  Piero 
Scheraggio  in  Florence,  now  destroyed,  as  claimed  by 
tradition. 


[66] 


DOMENICO  GHIRLANDAIO 
(1449-1494) 


No.  24  Portrait  of  Giovanna  Tornabuoni 

Half  length;  in  profile  to  the  left  against  an  archi¬ 
tectural  background.  Her  hair  falls  in  wavy  tresses 
over  her  temples,  and  covers  her  ears.  Her  sleeves  are 
of  dark  red  material,  decorated  with  simple  floriated 
designs  placed  within  yellow  diamond-shaped  compart¬ 
ments.  Her  gown  is  cut  square  across  the  breast;  her 
coat  is  of  brocaded  cloth  of  gold,  patterned  with  class¬ 
ical  designs.  A  fine  black  silken  cord  encircles  her 
neck,  and  from  it  hangs  a  ruby  in  a  claw  setting,  with 
three  pendent  pearls.  In  her  superposed  hands  she 
holds  her  kerchief.  In  the  recess  at  the  back  is  placed 
a  cluster  of  precious  stones,  surmounted  by  a  winged 
dragon ;  on  the  right  a  Book  of  Hours.  Above  is  looped 
a  necklace  of  coral  beads. 

Inscribed  (in  capitals)  on  the  cartel: 

“Ars  utinam  mores  animumque  effingere  posses, 

Pulchrior  in  ierris  nulla  tabella  foret,” 
with  the  date:  MCCCCLXXXVIIL 

(“Art,  could’st  thou  but  portray  character  and  the 
mind,  there  then  would  be  no  picture  in  the  whole 
world  more  beautiful  than  this.”) 

Wood,  29}i  by  19^4  inches. 

The  charms  of  Giovanna  were  sung  by  all  the  poets 
of  Florence.  In  1486  she  married  Lorenzo  Torna¬ 
buoni,  and  Domenico  Ghirlandaio  began  in  S.  M. 
Novella,  Florence,  his  series  of  frescoes.  In  them  he 

[69] 


included  numerous  portraits  of  his  patrons,  and  among 
them  that  of  Giovanna.  In  1488  she  died,  and  in  1497 
her  husband  was  beheaded.  Giovanni  was  a  cousin  of 
Giuliano  de’  Medici,  whose  portrait  is  here  exhibited. 

Subsequent  to  being  the  property  of  the  Torna- 
buoni  and  the  Pandolfini  families,  this  portrait  was  in 
a  private  collection  in  Paris.  It  was  lent  by  the  late 
Mr.  Henry  Willett,  of  Brighton,  to  the  Royal  Acad¬ 
emy  in  1878  (No.  210)  ;  and  in  1888  to  the  National 
Gallery.  It  next  passed  to  M.  Rodolphe  Kann,  Paris 
(“Catalogue,”  1907,  Vol.  II,  p.  121). 

Gazette  des  Beaux  Arts,  1897,  Vol.  XVIII,  pp. 
493-497. 

G.  S.  Davies:  “Ghirlandaio,”  1909,  p.  117. 

Hauvette:  “Ghirlandaio,”  1909,  p.  138. 

Berenson :  “Florentine  Painters,”  1909,  p.  138. 


Lent  by  J .  Pierpont  Morgan,  Esq. 


No.  24.  DOMENICO  GHIRLANDAIO 


No.  25.  BASTIANO  MAINARDI 


BASTIANO  MAINARDI 
(Active  1450-1513) 


No.  25  The  Madonna  and  Child 

The  Madonna,  in  red  tunic  and  ample  robe,  kneels, 
with  folded  hands,  and  contemplates  the  Infant  who  on 
the  right  reclines  on  part  of  her  upturned  robe.  Be¬ 
hind,  on  the  right,  are  the  ox  and  ass  under  a  thatched 
pent  house,  the  supports  of  which  rest  on  the  wall  that 
separates  them  from  the  background;  a  view  of  a 
walled  city  at  the  foot  of  a  hill  on  the  left;  the  Annun¬ 
ciation  to  the  Shepherds  on  the  right. 

Canvas,  28  by  201/-  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  Collection  of  Baron  Lazzaroni, 
Paris. 

This  is  an  early,  characteristic  work  by  Mainardi. 
The  type  of  the  lovely  Virgin  recalls  certain  heads  in 
Mainardi’s  frescoes  in  the  Collegiata  at  San  Gimig¬ 
nano,  executed  about  1482,  under  the  supervision  of 
Domenico  Ghirlandaio.  Among  other  early  paintings 
by  Mainardi,  closely  related  to  the  present  one,  should 
be  mentioned  the  standing  Madonna  in  Berlin  and  the 
charming  Madonna  at  half  length  in  the  Museum  at 
Lille,  a  picture  which  is  still  honored  with  Ghirlan¬ 
daio’s  name.  There  also  we  may  observe  the  same 
landscape  background  as  in  the  picture  now  exhibited. 

YV  §r&dlt(v\V\  YjUC- 

Lent  by  Michael  Friedsam,  Esq. 


[73] 


SANDRO  BOTTICELLI 
(1444-1510) 


No.  26  Portrait  of  Giuliano  de’  Medici 

Almost  in  profile  to  the  left;  in  a  black  doublet,  a 
red  under-robe  which  is  barely  seen,  with  white  linen 
beneath.  He  has  long  black  hair,  which  falls  on  to  his 
neck  and  covers  his  ears.  Neutral-toned  background. 

Wood,  21  by  13>4  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  collection  of  Conte  Procolo  Isolani 
at  Bologna,  but  practically  unknown  until  its  publica¬ 
tion,  as  “An  Unknown  Botticelli,”  in  the  “Times,” 
London,  April  1,  1914,  subsequent  to  its  purchase  by  the 
present  exhibitor. 

“The  expression  is  proud,  intellectual,  refined,  and 
a  trifle  cruel.”— Mrs.  Berenson,  in  Art  in  America, 
1914,  Vol.  II,  p.  214. 

Roger  Fry,  in  the  Burlington  Magazine,  1914,  Vol. 
XXV. 

Giuliano  de’Medici  (1453-1478),  the  younger  son 
of  Piero  di  Cosimo  de’Medici,  was  carefully  trained 
by  the  foremost  scholars  of  his  day.  Tall  and  hand¬ 
some,  and  distinguished  by  his  prowess  in  all  knightly 
exercises,  he  was  the  darling  of  the  Florentine  people. 
His  devotion  to  the  Genoese  maiden  La  Bella  Simonetta 
has  been  recorded  in  pictures  by  Botticelli  and  by  poets. 
He  was  murdered  during  the  celebration  of  Mass  in  the 
Duomo,  Florence,  on  April  26,  1478,  on  the  occasion 
of  the  Conjuration  of  the  Pazzi,  when  his  elder  brother 
Lorenzo  narrowly  escaped  with  his  life. 

It  is  to  be  noted  that  in  this  portrait  he  is  turned 
towards  the  left,  while  in  the  two  others  extant  he 
faces  to  the  right.  This  rare,  and  characteristically 
Florentine,  portrait  must  have  been  painted  but  a  few 
months  before  Giuliano’s  death. 

It  is  perhaps  worth  nothing  that  the  mother  of 
Giuliano  and  the  father  of  Giovanna  Tornabuoni — her 
portrait  is  now  lent  by  Mr.  Morgan — were  brother  and 
sister. 

Lent  by  Otto  H .  Kahn,  Esq. 


[74] 


No.  26.  SANDRO  BOTTICELLI 


PIERO  POLLAIUOLO 
(1443-1496) 


No.  27  The  Madonna  and  Child,  with  Angels 

The  Virgin,  enthroned  in  an  architectural  setting 
formed  by  two  Ionic  columns,  which  have  their  bases 
on  a  parapet,  is  seen  at  three-quarter  length  looking  out 
with  an  air  of  dignity  at  the  spectator.  A  gauzy  ker¬ 
chief  falls  onto  her  shoulders.  With  both  hands  she 
holds  the  Child  on  a  cushion  that  is  placed  on  her  lap. 
The  Child  is  almost  nude,  and  in  a  leg-free  attitude. 
Further  back,  and  on  either  side,  is  an  angel  who  looks 
inwards  to  contemplate  the  scene.  In  the  left  fore¬ 
ground  is  a  vase,  containing  long-stemmed  flowers. 

Wood,  30^4  by  21^4  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  collection  of  Alexander  Barker, 
London;  subsequently  in  that  of  G.  P.  Boyce,  London; 
and  then  of  Consul  Weber,  Hamburg. 

Exhibited  at  the  British  Institution,  1860,  No.  108; 
at  Leeds,  1868,  No.  9;  and  at  the  Royal  Academy,  1877, 
No.  142;  in  each  of  these  cases  catalogued  under  the 
name  of  Antonio  Pollaiuolo. 

Exhibited  at  the  Art  Society,  Berlin,  1901. 

Athenaeum,  January  27,  1877. 

Nohring:  “Sammlung  Weber,”  1898. 

Woermann:  “Weber  Catalogue,”  1912,  No.  23,  as 
of  the  Florentine  School,  about  1475. 

The  present  Madonna  shows  affinity  with  Piero 
Pollaiuolo’s  early  works.  Her  type  is  practically  the 
same  as  that  of  the  Angel  in  the  Annunciation  in  the 

177] 


Kaiser  Friedrich  Museum,  Berlin,  and  in  the  Tobias 
and  the  Angel,  in  Turin,  though  there  turned  more  to 
the  front.  The  very  beautiful  hands  also  correspond 
closely  with  those  in  Piero’s  well  recognized  pictures 
in  the  Uffizi  and  elsewhere,  while  the  folds  of 
the  Madonna’s  mantle  are  treated  in  exactly  the 
same  way  as  those  of  the  Virgin’s  dress  in  the  Berlin 
“Annunciation.” 

Yet  more  important  than  all  these  details  of  man¬ 
nerism  is  the  individual  tone  and  quality  of  the  picture, 
which  is  clearly  Pollaiuolesque,  a  fact  which  was 
previously  recognized  when  the  picture  was  attributed 
to  Antonio  Pollaiuolo.  It  is,  however,  dissimilar  from 
Antonio’s  individual  creations,  less  severely  sculptural 
in  form  and  design.  It  is,  indeed,  a  work  by  Piero,  the 
younger  and  more  eclectic  brother  who,  in  his  early 
years,  was  strongly  influenced  by  Baldovinetti  and 
Botticelli. 


(klW P  n.M<\ 

Lent  by  Martin  A.  Ryerson,  Esq. 


[78] 


No.  27.  PIERO  POLLAIUOLO 


BARTOLOMMEO  DI  GIOVANNI 
(“Alunno  di  Domenico”) 

(Active  1485-1500) 

No.  28  The  Madonna  and  Child,  with  St.  Louis 
of  Toulouse  and  St.  John  the  Evange¬ 
list,  with  Donors. 

The  Virgin  seated  on  a  throne,  of  architectural  de¬ 
sign  which  has  side  panels  and  terminates  in  a  shell¬ 
like  recess,  is  clad  in  a  red  tunic  embroidered  with 
gold,  and  a  dark  blue  cloak.  The  nude  Child,  seated 
on  her  right  knee,  places  His  left  hand — as  does  His 
mother — on  a  pomegranate  that  rests  on  His  left  leg. 
To  the  left,  and  on  the  lowest  of  the  five  steps  which 
lead  up  to  the  throne,  stands  St.  Louis  of  Toulouse  wear¬ 
ing  ecclesiastical  robes,  with  the  mitre,  and  holding  the 
crozier  in  his  left  hand;  his  greenish-blue  mantle  is 
embroidered  with  gold  fleur-de-lis.  On  the  right  is 
St.  John  the  Evangelist  in  green  tunic,  and  red  mantle 
lined  with  yellow;  he  holds  a  book  in  his  left  hand. 
Below  these  Saints  kneel  the  bust  length  figures,  smaller 
than  life  size,  of  the  Donors;  on  the  right  is  the  hus¬ 
band,  clean  shaven  and  in  a  red  robe;  on  the  left  is  his 
wife,  in  dark  green  dress,  her  head  and  shoulders  cov¬ 
ered  with  a  large  white  kerchief. 

On  the  front  of  the  bottom  step  is  inscribed  the 
date :  MCCCCLXXXVI. 

Wood,  60  by  32  inches.  \ 

Formerly  in  the  Collection  of  the  Marchese  Mena* 
foglio,  at  Modena;  subsequently  in  that  of  Cavaliere 
Pietro  Foresti  of  Carpi. 

A.  Venturi  (“Storia  dell’Arte  Italiana.”  VII,  1, 
page  764,  pi.  455)  holds  that  the  portraits  here  included 
are  reproduced,  on  a  smaller  scale,  from  those  of  Fran¬ 
cesco  Sassetti  and  his  wife,  Nera  Corsi.  Such  portraits 
are  found  in  the  series  of  frescoes  of  “Scenes  from  the 
Life  of  St.  Francis”  in  the  Capella  Sassetti  in  Santa 
Trinita,  Florence,  by  Domenico  Ghirlandaio. 

Bartolommeo  di  Giovanni  was  first  discussed  as  an 
artistic  personality  under  the  name  of  “Alunno  di 

[81] 


Domenico”  by  Mr.  Berenson  in  an  article  in  the  Bur¬ 
lington  Magazine,  No.  1,  1903,  where  the  painter’s  close 
relation  with  Domenico  Ghirlandaio  was  emphasized. 
Yet  it  is  evident  that  Bartolommeo  went  through  some 
distinct  stylistic  transformations,  caused  by  influences 
from  different  quarters. 

There  are  here  exhibited  three  pictures  by  him, 
representing  successive  periods  of  his  art.  At  least 
eight  more  pictures  by  the  same  painter  are  in 
American  collections.  Two  are  in  the  John  G.  Johnson 
collection  in  Philadelphia,  two  in  Mr.  Mcllhenny’s 
collection,  also  in  Philadelphia,  a  Madonna  in  the 
George  and  Florence  Blumenthal  collection,  and  a 
kneeling  St.  Jerome  in  the  Jarves  collection,  New 
Haven;  a  fine  large  tondo  representing  the  Nativity  is 
in  the  collection  at  Vassar  College,  and  another  tondo 
with  the  same  motive  belongs  to  Principe  Del  Drago,  in 
New  York. 

Of  the  paintings  now  on  exhibition,  the  large  altar- 
piece,  dated  1486,  evidently  is  the  earliest.  It  reveals 
most  plainly  Bartolommeo’s  artistic  education  in  Ghir¬ 
landaio’s  studio,  and  is  one  of  the  most  important  com¬ 
positions  known  by  him.  The  picture  of  a  “Saint”  in 
half  length  probably  belongs  to  about  the  same  period. 
It  is  strongly  Ghirlandaiesque  in  style.  The  third  pic¬ 
ture,  however,  belonging  to  Mr.  Kingsley  Porter,  re¬ 
veals  some  other  influences  besides  that  of  Ghirlandaio. 
Both  in  its  unusual  light  colour  and  in  the  treatment  of 
the  landscape  background,  it  shows  similarity  with 
Flemish  painting;  we  may,  therefore,  assume  that  Bar¬ 
tolommeo  later  in  his  career  must  have  come  in  contact 
with  Northern  art.  This  is  also  proved  by  the  beautiful 
Nativity  at  Vassar  College,  in  which  the  influence  of 
Hugo  van  der  Goes  is  discernible  in  the  types  and  in 
the  hands. 

Those  pictures,  doubtless,  belong  to  about  1490, 
when  Flemish  influence  made  itself  felt  in  the  works  of 
several  Florentine  painters.  It  would  be  interesting 
to  trace  the  successive  influences  in  the  oeuvre,  of  Bar¬ 
tolommeo  di  Giovanni,  which  also  might  serve  to  illus¬ 
trate  one  of  the  general  basic  features  in  Florentine 
painting  towards  the  end  of  the  Fifteenth  Century. 

[82] 


cr  LouiG 


No.  28.  BARTOLOMMEO  DT  GIOVANNI 


No.  29.  BARTOLOMMEO  DI  GIOVANNI 


BARTOLOMMEO  DI  GIOVANNI 
(“Alunno  di  Domenico”) 
(Active  1485-1500) 


No.  29  A  Saint 

Three-quarter  length  figure  of  an  Evangelist  (?), 
turned  three-quarters  to  the  left.  In  a  black  robe,  he 
has  a  long  grey  beard,  and  holds  a  red  book  in  his  left 
hand.  Light  blue  sky. 

Wood,  26  by  19)4  inches. 


BARTOLOMMEO  DI  GIOVANNI 
(Active  1485-1500) 


No.  30  The  Nativity 

The  Holy  Family  with  the  little  St.  John  are 
grouped  in  the  foreground,  St.  Joseph  being  seated  on 
the  packsaddle  of  the  ass  which,  together  with  the  ox, 
is  seen  in  the  middle  distance  near  the  pent-house  that 
is  in  half  ruin.  On  the  right  two  shepherds  contem¬ 
plate  the  scene.  In  the  left  distance  are  other  shepherds 
with  their  sheep.  A  walled  city  beyond.  In  the  sky 
the  Eternal,  surrounded  by  angels. 

Wood,  32  by  23  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  collection  of  the  Conte  Nobile, 
Florence. 


Lent  by  A.  Kingsley  Porter,  Esq. 


[86] 


No.  30.  BARTOLOMMEO  DI  GIOVANNI 


No.  31.  COSIMO  ROSSELLI 


COSIMO  ROSSELLI 
(1439-1507) 


No.  31  The  Madonna  and  Child,  with  Angels 

Three-quarter  length  figure  of  the  Virgin,  seen  in 
full  face,  and  standing  before  a  niche  and  under  a 
square-headed  canopy  supported  by  four  columns  that 
have  Corinthian  columns.  Her  blue  mantle,  which  is 
fastened  with  a  jeweled  morse  set  with  pearls,  drapes 
her  head;  a  girdle  of  gold  material.  She  holds  before 
her,  and  rather  to  the  left,  the  full  length  figure  of 
the  nude  Christ,  who  holds  the  orb  in  His  left  hand 
and  stands  on  a  parapet,  the  front  of  which  is  carved. 
In  front  of  the  parapet,  and  on  the  left,  kneels  a  red- 
clad  angel;  another,  on  the  right,  presents  a  vase  con¬ 
taining  white  flowers.  Landscape  background,  with 
trees  on  the  left;  on  the  right  a  domed  church  and 
hills. 

Wood,  33  by  22^4  inches. 


Lent  by  Mrs.  Benjamin  Thaw. 


[89] 


PIER  FRANCESCO  FIORENTINQ 
(Active  1475-1497), 

No.  32  The  Madonna  and  Child,  with  Angels 

1  hree-quarter  length  hgure,  turned  three-quarters 
to  the  lelt,  ol  the  Virgin,  whose  kerchief  falls  on  to  her 
snouiders.  On  her  raised  knee  she  holds  the  Inlant, 
wlio  grasps  a  bird  in  His  left  hand.  On  the  left  an 
angel,  in  yellow  and  red  robes,  holds  a  lily  stem  in  the 
rignt  Land.  In  the  right  foreground  is  the  haff-iength 
kneeling  hgure  of  the  donor  in  a  white  robe,  having 
a  red  conar,  and  a  blue  mantle  lined  with  yellow.  His 
hands  are  crossed  before  his  breast.  A  bird  stands  on 
tne  parapet.  A  wide-spreading  landscape  with  various 
white-waned  cities  and  churches  dotted  about  the  plain, 
or  on  the  sides  ol  the  hills  which  bound  the  composition. 

Wood,  22  by  17  inches. 

The  name  of  the  Florentine  painter  Pier  Fran¬ 
cesco  has  now  attained  a  certain  popularity,  because  it 
has  been  widely  used  in  a  rather  loose  sense  for  a  large 
group  of  Madonna  pictures  scattered  all  over  the  world, 
which  mostly  repeat  certain  compositions  that  origi¬ 
nated  in  the  studios  of  Fra  Filippo,  Baldovinetti,  Pesel- 
lino  and  other  contemporary  Florentine  masters.  But 
very  few  of  these  pictures  stand  the  test  of  a  close  stylis¬ 
tic  comparison  with  Pier  Francesco’s  authentic  works 
at  San  Gimignano,  dated  between  1474  and  1494. 
It  is,  therefore,  of  so  much  greater  interest  to  be  con¬ 
fronted  with  a  Madonna  which  really  shows  all  the 
stylistic  peculiarities  of  this  painter.  The  picture  here 
on  exhibition  should  be  compared  with  the  large  altar- 
piece  in  the  Pinacoteca  at  San  Gimignano,  representing 
the  kneeling  Madonna  between  two  kneeling  Saints, 
dated  1477,  or  with  another  altarpiece  in  the  Gallery  at 
Empoli.  These  are  authentic  works  by  Pier  Fran¬ 
cesco,  marked  not  only  by  the  same  types  and  hands  as 
here  seen,  but  also  by  the  same  peculiar  treatment  of 
the  landscape,  the  same  dry,  opaque  coloring  (recalling 
fresco  painting)  and  the  same  sharp  definition  of  de¬ 
tails.  The  painter  may  be  called  quaint  and  provincial, 
but  he  has  a  remarkable  feeling  for  the  decorative  value 
of  line  and  subdued  color. 

Lent  by  Michael  Dreicer,  Esa. 

[90] 


I 


No.  32.  PIER  FRANCESCO  FIORENTINO 


No.  33.  LORENZO  DI  CREDI 


LORENZO  DI  CREDI 
(1459-1537) 


No.  33  Portrait  of  a  Young  Lady 

Half-length  figure,  smaller  than  life  size,  three- 
quarters  to  the  left.  In  a  gray  dress,  with  an  insertion 
of  black  material  with  yellow  bands.  She  has  light 
brown  hair,  which  falls  in  ringlets  over  the  ears. 
Around  her  neck  is  a  thin  gold  chain,  from  which 
depends  a  jewel.  Landscape  background,  with  sloping 
lawns. 

Wood,  1 7y2  by  12^4  inches. 

Reproduced  in  Siren:  “Leonardo  da  Vinci,”  p.  24. 

The  general  character  of  Lorenzo  di  Credi’s  style 
makes  him  naturally  most  interesting  in  his  por¬ 
traits.  His  unusually  clear  observation,  his  exactness 
in  statements  of  fact,  his  power  of  definition  and 
mastery  of  drawing  are  qualities  which  make  his  por¬ 
traits  more  important  than  his  Madonna  compositions 
as  works  of  art.  Unfortunately,  the  latter  are  much 
more  common  than  the  former.  The  present  por¬ 
trait  recalls  a  large  drawing  by  Lorenzo  in  the  Louvre, 
probably  made  after  the  same  model;  it  may  also  be 
compared  with  the  larger,  but  less  well-preserved,  por¬ 
trait  of  a  Lady  in  the  Pinacoteca  at  Forli.  We  have  in 
another  connection  reproduced  this  portrait  at  the  side 
of  the  famous  portrait  of  a  Lady  in  the  Liechtenstein 
Gallery  at  Vienna,  variously  ascribed  to  Leonardo  da 
Vinci,  Verrocchio  and  Lorenzo  di  Credi.  There  is  a 
distinct  similarity  of  design  between  the  two  portraits, 
but  a  great  difference  in  quality  and  artistic  interpreta¬ 
tion,  which  may  serve  to  prove  that  the  Liechtenstein 
portrait  cannot  be  the  work  of  Lorenzo;  some  other 
interesting  historical  points  in  the  discussion  would 
carry  us  too  far  in  this  connection. 

Lent  by  Otto  H.  Kahn,  Esq. 

[93] 


PIERO  DI  COSIMO 
(1462-1521) 


No.  34  St.  John  the  Evangelist 

Turned  three-quarters  to  the  left,  and  seen  nearly 
at  three-quarters  length,  on  the  far  side  of  a  simulated 
casement.  He  gazes  downwards.  His  tunic  is  of  blue, 
and  the  left  sleeve  has  a  wristband  of  dark  green;  his 
red  mantle  falls  loosely  over  his  left  shoulder.  His 
right  hand  is  raised  above  the  gold  Chalice,  placed  at 
the  left  corner  of  the  parapet.  Above  the  Chalice 
hovers  the  serpent,  rendered  in  coils  of  interlacing  pat 
tern  to  symbolize  the  poison  that  issued  therefrom. 

Wood,  33  by  23j^  inches. 

Traditionally  held  to  have  belonged  to  the  Brentano 
Collection,  it  would  have  formed  part  of  the  Cabinet 
sold  at  Amsterdam  on  May  13,  1822. 

Subsequently  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  T.  Humphry 
Ward,  London. 

This  figure  of  St.  John  in  half-length  should  be 
compared  with  Piero’s  larger  picture  in  the  Galleria 
Nazionale  in  Rome  representing  S.  Mary  Magdalen 
standing  in  a  casement,  as  St.  John  in  this  picture,  and 
it  other  respects  composed  in  the  same  way.  The  main 
interest  of  the  painter  seems  in  both  cases  to  have  been 
to  present  the  figure  in  a  soft  light  with  fine  chiaroscuro 
modelling.  He  must  have  executed  these  figures  after 
1503,  when  Leonardo  returned  to  Florence  and  re¬ 
vealed  to  the  painters  of  his  native  city  that  new  mode 
of  pictorial  treatment  which  then  came  to  prevail 
during  the  High  Renaissance.  The  picture  is  inter¬ 
esting  as  an  early  example  of  this  important  transfor¬ 
mation  in  the  pictorial  style  of  the  Florentine  school ;  it 
is  probably  the  most  Leonardesque  figure  that  Piero  di 
Cosimo  ever  painted. 


[94] 


- 


No.  34.  PIERO  DI  COSIMO 


No.  35.  RAFFAELLINO  DEL  GARBO 


RAFFAELLINO  DEL  GARBO 
(1476-1524) 


No.  35  The  Madonna  and  Child,  with  St.  John 
the  Baptist. 

The  Madonna  is  seen  at  three-quarter  length,  before 
a  cloth  of  honour.  The  Infant  rests  against  her  right 
side,  and  is  seated  on  her  lap.  On  the  left  is  the  little 
St.  John  with  folded  hands.  Landscape  background. 

Wood.  Tondo,  21p->  inches  diameter. 

Purchased  in  Italy  by  C.  W.  Dilke  in  1827. 

In  the  collection  of  Sir  Charles  Dilke,  sold  April 
10,  1911,  No.  138,  as  Galeazzo  Campi. 

This  picture  is  clearly  not  by  a  Cremonese  painter, 
but  is  by  a  Florentine  of  the  end  of  the  Quattrocento. 
Its  Florentine  origin  stands  out  most  convincingly  in 
the  landscape.  A  comparison  with  certain  pictures  by 
Raffaellino  del  Garbo  proves  amply  that  he  must  have 
been  the  master.  We  may  mention  in  particular 
Raffaeiino’s  tondi  in  the  Poldi  Pezzoli  Museum  in 
Milan,  and  in  the  gallery  at  Prato,  which  show  almost 
the  same  composition  with  the  same  Virgin  and  Child 
as  in  the  present  tondo.  The  question  whether  this 
painter  should  be  identified  with  Raffaellino  del  Garbo 
or  with  Raffaellino  dei  Carli  can  hardly  be  entered 
upon  within  the  limits  of  these  short  notes.  Judging 
from  documentary  evidence,  there  is  hardly  any  reason 
to  assume  the  existence  of  two  different  painters  by  the 
name  of  Raffaellino,  but  only  two  different  periods  in 
the  evolution  of  the  same  artist.  The  present  picture 
belongs  to  the  later  period  of  the  artist,  when  he  mostly 
signed  as  Raffaellino  dei  Carli.  His  full  name  can  be 
read  in  the  roll  of  Arte  de’Medici  a  Speziali  in  Flor¬ 
ence:  Raphael  Bartholomei  Nicolai  Capponi,  pictor 
nel  Garbo.  (Cf.  Crowe  and  Cavalcaselle,  “History,” 
New  Ed.  Vol.  IV,  p.  300). 

Lent  by  Adolph  Lewisohn ,  Esq. 

[97] 


FRANCESCO  GRANACCI 
(1477-1543) 


No.  36  Tobias  and  the  Archangel 

Small,  full  length  figures.  The  Archangel  Raphael 
in  red  tunic,  white  under-robe  and  blue  mantle  having 
a  morse,  moves  towards  the  right  in  a  landscape  that  is 
bounded  on  either  side,  in  the  background,  by  high 
rocks.  The  Archangel,  with  golden  hair  and  extended 
wings,  holds  the  medicament  box  in  the  left  hand  and 
clasps  Tobias  by  the  hand.  The  boy,  in  a  blue  doublet 
and  red  half-hose,  holds  the  fish  under  his  right  arm. 

Wood,  18  inches  in  diameter. 

The  attribution  of  this  beautifully  designed  tondo 
to  Francesco  Granacci  is  perhaps  a  little  surprising  at 
first  sight;  but,  on  closer  study,  it  becomes  evident  that 
the  figures  could  hardly  have  been  drawn  by  any  other 
artist.  The  angel  has  that  peculiar  swing  in  the  limbs, 
that  wavering  motion  in  the  whole  figure  that  may  be 
observed  in  most  of  Granacci’s  early  works,  as,  for 
instance,  in  the  cassone  panels  described  under  his  name 
in  this  catalogue.  Very  nearly  related  to  this  figure  is 
another  archangel  by  Granacci :  S.  Michael  in  the  large 
altar-piece  in  Berlin,  which  shows  the  enthroned 
Madonna  between  the  Baptist  and  the  young  warrior- 
angel.  In  these  early  works  Granacci  appears  as  pure 
quattrocentist,  akin  to  Botticini  and  Cosimo  Roselli, 
free  from  that  striving  after  heavy  solemnity  and  bulki¬ 
ness  which  burden  his  compositions  after  he  had  come 
under  the  influence  of  Michaelangelo.  His  art  would 
certainly  have  been  more  highly  appreciated  by  us,  if 
he  had  died  younger. 


Lent  by  Michael  Dreicer,  Esq. 


[98] 


No.  36.  GRANACCI 


FRANCESCO  GRANACCI 
(1477-1543) 


No.  37  The  Return  of  Ulysses 

An  open  landscape  which  includes  varying  aspects 
of  nature.  In  the  foreground  Ulysses  is  putting  to  flight 
the  importunate  suitors  who  sought  the  hand  of  his 
wife  Penelope  during  his  absence,  the  many  perils 
through  which  the  hero  passed  being  indicated  by  the 
ship  on  the  left.  In  the  background  is  a  loggia  wherein 
Ulysses,  disguised  as  a  beggar  and  accompanied  by 
Telemachus  and  Eumaeus,  is  seen  on  his  return  home; 
he  is  recognized  only  by  his  old  nurse,  Eurycleia  and 
his  dog  Argus.  More  to  the  right  is  Penelope,  working 
at  her  loom  on  the  tapestry  which  she  unravels  each 
night. 

Wood,  31  by  38  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  collection  of  Thomas  Stainton. 

This  picture  is  one  of  a  series  representing  the  Ad¬ 
ventures  of  Ulysses.  It  probably  formed  the  end  panel 
of  a  large  cassone,  the  side  parts  of  which  are  now  in 
the  Collection  at  Vassar  College,  New  York.  These 
two  illustrate  various  incidents  from  the  History  of 
Ulysses,  such  as  his  “Visit  to  the  Island  of  the 
Cyclops,”  his  “Outwitting  Polyphemus,”  his  “Cap¬ 
ture  of  the  Winds,”  and  so  forth.  The  other  end 
portion,  which  is  still  missing,  probably  represented 
the  “Departure  from  Troy.”  The  pictures  now  at  Vas¬ 
sar  College  originally  belonged  to  Sir  William  Abdy’s 


[101  ] 


Collection  and  were  sold  at  his  sale  at  Christie’s  in 
May,  1911,  (No.  120)  under  Antonio  Pollajuolo’s 
name.  They  are,  however,  all  by  the  same  master  as 
the  present  painter,  Francesco  Granacci;  this  attribu¬ 
tion  is  not  only  proved  by  the  general  characteristics  of 
the  figures,  but  also  by  certain  drawings  in  the  National 
Museum  of  Stockholm,  which  must  be  given  to  Gra¬ 
nacci,  and  which  may  almost  be  regarded  as  prepara¬ 
tory  sketches  for  these  paintings.  Evidently  these  cas- 
sone  paintings  were  executed  by  Granacci  at  an  early 
epoch;  they  are  in  certain  respects  different  from  his 
later,  better  known  altar  paintings. 

The  whole  series  is  important,  not  only  as  an  addi¬ 
tion  to  the  work  of  one  of  the  most  interesting  Floren¬ 
tine  painters  at  the  beginning  of  the  Sixteenth  Century, 
but  also  as  specimens  of  the  Renaissance  interpretation 
of  antique  poetry.  They  afford  beautiful  landscape 
views,  and  an  interesting  display  of  Granacci’s  interest 
and  ability  in  representing  nude  figures  in  movement. 


[102] 


No.  37.  FRANCESCO  GRANACCI 


No.  38.  RIDOLFO  GHIRLANDAIO 


RIDOLFO  GHIRLANDAIO 
(1483-1561) 


No.  38  The  Madonna  and  Child,  with  Saints 
(A  Triptych) 

The  centre  panel.  The  Madonna  kneels,  with 
folded  hands,  and  tenderly  regards  the  Infant  who  lies 
on  a  rose  coloured  carpet  placed  on  the  grass  in  the 
foreground.  Nearer  to  the  front  and  on  the  left  kneels 
St.  Benedict,  in  black  robes,  in  profile  to  the  right.  In 
the  stable  in  ruin,  in  the  right  background,  a  shepherd 
offers  a  sheep  to  St.  Joseph.  In  the  distance  a  moun¬ 
tainous  landscape,  and  a  bridge  over  a  torrent.  Angels 
in  the  sky. 

Left  panel.  St.  Christina,  with  an  arrow  at  her 
feet,  kneels  towards  the  right;  St.  Peter  and  St.  Mathew 
stand  behind. 

Right  panel.  St.  Elizabeth  of  Hungary,  with  flow¬ 
ers  in  her  robe,  kneels  and  is  turned  inwards;  behind 
stand  St.  Paul  and  St.  John  the  Evangelist. 

Wood,  13%  by  8%  inches;  the  wings,  13%  by  3% 
inches  each. 

At  one  time  in  the  Genolini  Collection,  Milan. 
Subsequently  in  the  Crespi  Gallery  (1914,  No.  24). 

Berenson:  “Florentine  Painters,”  1909,  p.  139. 


a/v  /tu T 

Lent  by  Michael  Friedsam,  Esq. 


[105] 


ANGELO  BRONZINO 
(1502-1572) 


No.  39  Portrait  of  Maria  di  Cosimo  de’ Medici 

Three-quarter  length,  turned  three-quarters  to  the 
right,  her  face  towards  the  spectator.  She  wears  a 
grey  dress  with  high  corsage,  a  pearl  necklace  and  a 
gold  coronet.  Her  kerchief,  held  in  the  right  hand, 
rests  on  the  arm  of  a  Florentine  renaissance  chair.  In 
the  left  she  grasps  the  end  of  the  gold  chain,  which 
passes  round  her  waist.  Architectural  background. 

Wood,  38  by  30  inches. 

Bought  from  a  noble  family  in  Florence,  about 
1840,  by  the  second  Marquis  of  Westminster,  who  gave 
it  to  one  of  his  daughters,  Lady  Theodora  Guest,  of 
Templecombe. 

Maria,  the  eldest  of  the  children  of  Cosimo  de’ 
Medici,  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany,  was  born  in  1540. 
Her  hand  had  been  sought  in  marriage  for  Alfonso 
d’Este,  but  she  died  at  the  age  of  seventeen.  She  was  v 
an  aunt  of  Marie  de’  Medici,  Queen  of  Henry  IV  of 
France. 

Doubtless,  this  is  the  portrait  of  “Donna  Maria,  a 
very  tall  and  truly  beautiful  girl,”  referred  to  by  Vasari 
as  having  been  painted  by  Bronzino.  The  Uffizi  con¬ 
tains  a  full  length  portarit  of  her,  in  her  childhood,  by 
Bronzino. 


wy  Hit 

Lent  by  Michael  Friedsam,  Esq. 


[106] 


No.  39.  ANGELO  BRONZINO 


SIENESE  SCHOOL 


GUIDO  DA  SIENA 
(Active  1221 ) 


No.  40  Madonna  and  Child 

The  Madonna,  wearing  a  dark  blue  mantle  which 
envelopes  part  of  her  head,  holds  on  her  left  arm  the 
Infant,  who  places  His  right  arm  round  her  neck. 

Wood,  31*4  by  24^4  inches. 

This  Madonna  belongs  to  the  same  group  as  certain 
pictures  in  the  Accademia  at  Siena,  in  the  gallery  at 
Arezzo,  and  in  the  Uffizzi,  which  all  are  attributable 
to  Guido  da  Siena  or  to  his  bottega  (Cf.  “Catalogue  of 
the  Jarves  Collection,”  page  8) .  It  represents  the  earli¬ 
est  stage  of  Sienese  painting  known  to  us,  and  like  all 
later  works  of  the  same  school  it  reveals  a  refined  sense 
for  ornamental  beauty  and  linear  decoration.  The 
Byzantine  design  is  here  already  applied,  with  a  dis¬ 
tinctly  local  and  individual  feeling  for  colour  and  line. 
The  picture  may  be  dated  about  1280. 


f  r 


Lent  by  Dan  Fellows  Platt,  Esq. 


[no] 


No.  40.  GUIDO  DA  SIENA 


FOLLOWER  OF  DUCCIO 
(Beginning  of  the  Fourteenth  Century) 

No.  41  Christ  on  the  Cross,  and  Other  Biblical 

Subjects 

In  the  centre  panel  is  the  Crucified;  in  the  left  fore¬ 
ground  the  Virgin  and  one  of  the  Marys;  on  the  right 
St.  John  and  St.  Francis. 

In  the  lateral  compartments  on  the  left,  are  (I)  The 
Adoration  of  the  Magi,  (II)  The  Nativity,  and  (III) 
The  Annunciation.  In  those  on  the  right  (IV)  St. 
Mary  Magdalene  and  a  female  Saint,  (V)  St.  Law¬ 
rence,  St.  John  the  Baptist  and  St.  Peter,  and  (VI) 
The  Coronation  of  the  Virgin. 

Wood,  the  centre  panel  22  by  16  inches;  the  side 
compartments  each  22  by  iy2  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  F.  Mason  Per¬ 
kins,  at  Lastra  a  Signa,  Florence. 

Weigelt:  “Duccio,”  1911,  plate  60. 

The  anonymous  master  of  this  fine  triptych  was  evi¬ 
dently  a  subtle  and  able  imitator  of  Duccio,  and  must 
have  worked  in  the  master’s  studio  for  a  long  while. 
We  find  in  his  works  much  of  that  decorative  beauty  of 
line  that  is  characteristic  of  Duccio  at  an  early  period, 
but  we  miss  in  them  the  pathos  and  power  which  lift 
Duccio’s  individual  creations  to  a  higher  plane.  The 
hand  of  the  artist  who  painted  this  triptych  may  be 
traced  in  two  other  small  pictures,  a  diptych  in  the 
Jarves  Collection  at  New  Haven,  representing  the 
Madonna  and  the  Crucifixion,  and  a  somewhat  larger 

[113] 


triptych  in  the  Siena  Academy,  representing  in  the  cen¬ 
tral  part,  the  enthroned  Madonna  and  the  Coronation, 
and  on  the  wings,  various  Scenes  from  the  Passion  of 
Christ.  All  those  pictures  show  certain  mannerisms  of 
style  and  technique,  such  as  the  white  strokes  on  the 
long  straight  noses,  the  very  small  mouths  and  hands, 
and  the  rather  stiff  bearing  of  the  tightly  draped,  slen¬ 
der  figures.  The  painter  must  have  been  one  of 
Duccio’s  earliest  pupils. 


Lent  by  George  and  Florence  Blumenthal 


l  1 


No.  42.  SEGNA  DI  BUONAVENTURA 


SEGNA  DI  BONAVENTURA 
(Active  1305-1326) 


No.  42  The  Madonna  and  Child 

Three-quarter  length ;  rather  to  the  right.  The  Vir¬ 
gin  wears  her  traditional  attire,  together  with  a  white 
kerchief  that  encircles  her  head.  The  red  mantle  of 
Christ  loosely  envelopes  His  body,  which  rests  on  the 
Virgin’s  left  arm. 

Wood,  arched,  34^5  by  22  inches. 

Exhibited  at  the  Esposizione  del’  Arte  Senese,  in 
Siena,  1904. 


Lent  by  Philip  Lehman,  Esq. 


SEGNA  DI  BONAVENTURA 
(Active  1305-1326) 


No.  43  The  Madonna  and  Child,  with  Scenes 
from  the  Passion  (A  Polyptych) 

In  the  main  panel  of  the  composition  is  the  Virgin 
seated  on  a  throne,  on  either  side,  and  near  the  top,  of 
which  are  angels.  Lower  down,  and  on  the  left,  are 
St.  John  the  Baptist  and  St.  Paul;  on  the  right  are  St. 
John  the  Evangelist,  and  St.  Peter.  In  canopied  com¬ 
partments  below  are  St.  Nicholas,  St.  Francis,  St. 
Dominic,  and  a  female  Saint. 

In  the  wing  are,  one  above  the  other,  (I)  Christ 
Carrying  His  Cross,  (II)  Christ  at  the  Column,  (III) 
The  Betrayal. 

In  the  right  (I)  The  Entombment,  with,  above, 
(II)  Christ  on  the  Cross. 

Wood,  30j4  by  33  inches. 

Among  the  numerous  followers  of  Duccio,  Segna 
di  Bonaventura  is  certainly  one  of  the  best.  In  his 
early  works,  such  as  the  Madonna  in  the  church  of  S. 
Francesco  at  Siena,  he  approaches  his  master  very 
closely.  Later  on  he  becomes  more  flaccid  in  drawing, 
and  more  lifeless  in  conception. 

Segna  could  hardly  be  better  represented  than  he  is 
in  this  exhibition.  The  large  half-length  Madonna, 
well  known  to  students  from  the  Siena  Exhibition  in 
1904,  is  one  of  the  masterpieces  of  Duccio’s  school,  and 
one  of  Segna’s  earliest  and  most  important  creations. 

It  should  be  compared  with  the  Madonna  in  St. 
Francesco  in  Siena,  which  is  perhaps  still  a  trifle  more 
Duccioesque  and  more  pathetic  in  expression. 

This  small  triptych  shows  Segna  in  a  more  inti¬ 
mate  mood,  and  as  painting  in  a  fine  miniature-like 
technique,  which,  however,  does  not  seem  to  correspond 
with  his  natural  inclination  and  training,  as  seen  in  the 
larger  half-length  Madonnas  on  which  he  was  usually 
employed. 

Lent  by  Captain  R .  Langton  Douglas. 
tns] 


No.  43.  SEGNA  DI  BUONAVENTURA 


No.  44.  SIMONE  MARTINI 


SIMONE  MARTINI 

(1285-1344) 


No.  44  A  Prophet 

Three-quarter  length,  three-quarters  to  the  left.  In 
a  green  under-robe,  and  a  pink  mantle  bordered  with 
gold.  With  long  hair  and  beard,  and  pensive  gaze.  In 
his  hands  a  red  bound  book  fastened  with  two  clamps. 
Gold  background.  A  decorative  border  to  the  frame. 

Wood,  22,y2  by  1  Sl/2  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  collection  of  Captain  R.  Langton 
Douglas. 


Lent  by  George  and  Florence  Blumenthal 


SIMONE  MARTINI 

(1285-1344) 


No.  45  St.  Peter 

Half  length,  turned  slightly  to  the  right.  In  his 
blue  tunic  and  rose-colored  mantle,  he  holds  two  keys 
in  the  right  hand;  the  fingers  of  his  left  touch  a  blue- 
bound  book.  Gold  background. 

Wood,  22p2  by  \Sl/2  inches.  , 


Lent  by  Philip  Lehman,  Esq. 


[122] 


No.  45.  SIMONE  MARTINI 


No.  46.  SIMONE  MARTINI 


SIMONE  MARTINI 

(1285-1344) 


No.  46  St.  Ansano 

Half-length,  turned  slightly  to  the  right.  In  a 
blue  robe  and  purple  mantle  which  is  draped  over  the 
left  shoulder;  the  under-sleeves  are  pink.  A  palm 
branch  in  the  right  hand;  in  the  left  is  his  staff,  to 
which  is  attached  a  black  and  white  pennon.  Gold 
background. 

These  three  figures,  Peter,  Ansano  and  the  Prophet, 
by  Simone  Martini,  now  shown,  evidently  once  formed 
parts  of  an  altarpiece  which  also  contained  a  Madonna, 
in  the  centre,  and  a  fourth  Saint,  presumably  St.  Paul 
or  another  Prophet.  Judging  by  the  general  style  of 
these  figures,  and  particularly  from  the  type  of  the 
Prophet,  this  must  have  been  a  comparatively  early 
work  by  Simone,  probably  painted  between  1320  and 
1330,  shortly  after  the  altarpieces  in  Pisa  and  Orvieto. 
The  rectangular  shape  of  the  panels  is  rather  unusual 
for  a  period  when  altarpieces  of  a  similar  nature 
were  regularly  composed  in  Gothic  framework,  with  a 
series  of  pointed  arches  over  the  single  Saints  and 
divided  by  small  columns.  The  reason  for  this  devia¬ 
tion  from  the  usual  scheme  may  have  been  that  the 
panels  were  intended  for  some  definite  architectural 
setting.  Their  present  frames,  with  a  fine  ornamental 
border,  are  the  original  ones. 


Lent  by  Philip  Lehman,  Esq . 


[125] 


SIMONE  MARTINI 
(1283-1344) 


No.  47  St.  John  the  Evangelist 

Three-quarter  length ;  in  full  front.  A  red-haired, 
clean-shaven  and  youthful  figure  in  a  tunic  edged  with 
gold  and  an  ample  red  mantle.  A  quill  pen  in  the  right 
hand;  a  book  held  against  his  left  side.  His  ink-horn 
on  the  parapet  that  runs  across  the  foreground. 

Wood,  trefoiled  above,  37  by  17^4  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  Sterbini  collection,  Rome,  and 
included  in  Venturi’s  “Catalogue,”  No.  3,  pp.  22-25. 


Lent  by  Mrs.  Benjamin  Thaw. 


[  126] 


No.  47.  SIMONE  MARTINI 


No.  48.  A.  LORENZETTI 


AMBROGIO  LORENZETTI 
(Active  1323-1348) 


No.  48  The  Madonna  and  Child 

The  Madonna,  seen  at  three-quarter  length  and 
turned  three-quarters  to  the  right,  rests  the  Child  on 
her  left  arm,  and  supports  the  weight  of  His  body  in 
the  palm  of  her  right  hand.  Her  mantle  is  patterned 
with  floral  designs;  He  wears  a  tunic  which  leaves  the 
legs  bare  below  the  knee,  and  places  His  arms  round 
His  mother’s  neck. 

Wood,  37^  by  18  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  Griccioli  Collection,  in  Monis- 
tero  di  S.  Eugenio  at  Siena. 

Exhibited  in  Espositione  dell’Arte  Senese,  Siena, 
in  1904. 

Published  by  Perkins  in  Rassegna  d’Arte,  1911. 

Mentioned  by  Berenson  in  “Central  Italian 
Painters,”  page  187. 

This  famous  Madonna  by  Ambrogio  Lorenzetti,  one 
of  the  very  few  works  by  the  master  that  ever  came 
out  of  Italy,  is  so  well  known  and  highly  appreciated 
by  students  of  Sienese  art  that  it  hardly  needs  a  word 
of  comment.  It  is  also  so  intensely  human  in  feeling, 
and  so  monumental  in  design,  that  it  cannot  fail  to  fasci¬ 
nate  even  the  unprepared  beholder.  The  composition 
corresponds  most  closely  to  Ambrogio’s  Madonna  at 
Rapolano  (which,  however,  is  in  a  deplorable  condi¬ 
tion)  ;  it  is  more  archaic  than  thq  “Madonna  del  Latte” 
composition  in  San  Francesco  at  Siena,  dated  1340. 
It  seems  thus  probable  that  the  present  Madonna  was 
painted  some  years  earlier,  a  supposition  which  also  is 
sustained  by  the  fact  that  Bernardo  Daddi  has  repeated 
the  same  composition  with  slight  modifications  in  sev¬ 
eral  Madonna  pictures  executed  about  1335-1340. 

Lent  by  Dan  Fellows  Platt,  Esq . 


[129] 


TADDEO  DI  BARTOLO 
(1363-1436) 


No.  49  A  Dominican  Legend 

A  composition  of  small  figures.  The  action  rep¬ 
resented  deals  with  the  legend  according  to  which  the 
boy  Napoleone  fell  from  his  horse  and  was  trampled 
to  death.  Clothed  in  pink,  with  blood  issuing  from  his 
head,  he  lies  on  the  ground  under  the  hoofs  of  the 
white  horse.  In  the  concluding  scene  he  is  brought 
back  to  life  by  St.  Dominic,  who  stands  further  back, 
on  the  left,  in  the  presence  of  the  Cardinal,  who  is 
accompanied  by  two  other  figures. 

Wood,  13$4  by  13  inches. 


Lent  by  Captain  R.  Langton  Douglas. 


[130  3 


No.  49.  TADDEO  DI  BARTOLO 


LORENZO  VECCHIETTA 
(1412-1480) 


No.  50  An  Allegory  of  the  Christian  Church 

In  the  centre  is  the  Crucified,  from  whose  mouth  a 
scroll  is  issuing  with  the  inscription:  Ego  sum  patria 
et  via.  A  skull  and  some  bones  are  on  the  ground 
at  the  foot  of  the  Cross.  Around  the  Crucified  are 
arranged  on  floating  clouds,  in  a  golden  sky,  five  fig¬ 
ures  in  half  length,  the  four  Doctors  of  the  Church 
— St.  Jerome,  St.  Ambrose,  St.  Augustin  and  St.  An¬ 
thony — and  an  Evangelist  (probably  St.  John)  with  an 
open  book.  The  four  Doctors  have  fixed  their  gaze  on 
the  Crucified,  and  the  Evangelist  is  pointing  towards 
Him. 

Wood,  18  by  15  inches. 

The  whole  conception  of  this  Christian  allegory,  as 
well  as  the  general  stylistic  character  and  ornamental 
beauty  of  the  picture  are  thoroughly  Sienese.  It  re¬ 
minds  us  in  a  general  way  of  certain  allegorical  com¬ 
positions  by  Sassetta  and  Giovanni  di  Paolo.  The  ex¬ 
quisite  brocaded  robes  of  the  Bishop  and  the  Pope 
could  hardly  have  been  painted  outside  of  Siena,  and 
none  but  a  master  of  “La  Citta  della  Madonna”  could 
have  given  such  intense  devotional  expression  to  the 
adoring  Doctors. 

The  types  correspond,  however,  neither  to  Sassetta’s 
nor  to  Giovanni  di  Paolo’s  figures,  but  reveal  the  hand 
of  Lorenzo  Vecchietta.  To  prove  this,  we  must  choose 


[133] 


for  comparison  some  of  Vecchietta’s  early  works, 
painted  between  1440  and  1450.  We  find,  for  instance, 
in  the  frescoes  (executed  in  1448),  on  the  ceilings  of  the 
Spedale  Infermeria  di  San  Pietro,  in  Siena,  some  aged 
Saints  who  are  practically  the  same  figures  as  the 
Doctors  in  this  little  picture;  they  also  are  placed  on 
floating  clouds.  The  difference  in  scale  does  not  obscure 
the  essential  resemblance.  The  hands  are  no  less  char¬ 
acteristic;  they  recur,  for  instance,  in  the  figures  on  the 
shrine-doors  in  the  Siena  Gallery,  dated  1445.  One  of 
these  represents  St.  Catharine  adoring  the  Crucifix,  and 
there  is  the  same  lean  and  supple  Saviour  nailed  to  the 
Cross  as  in  our  little  picture.  A  further  detail  worth 
mentioning,  in  support  of  our  attribution,  is  the  pecu¬ 
liar  chain  ornament  in  two  of  the  haloes;  it  occurs 
again  in  a  well-known  picture  by  Vecchietta,  represent¬ 
ing  a  bust  length  of  the  Virgin  in  Prayer,  in  the  Con- 
servatorio  Feminile  in  Siena.  The  details  and  the  spirit 
of  the.  whole  conception  are  particularly  characteristic. 


Vi  foCC 


[134] 


No.  50.  LORENZO  VECCHIETTA 


SASSETTA 
(Stefano  di  Giovanni) 

(1392-1450) 

No.  5 1  The  Adoration  of  the  Shepherds,  St.  John 
the  Baptist,  and  St.  Bartholomew 
(A  Triptych) 

In  the  centre  panel  the  Shepherds,  who  have  ar¬ 
rived  from  the  right,  are  in  the  presence  of  the  Infant 
who  lies  in  the  crib  beneath  the  pent-house  in  which 
angels  have  assembled.  In  the  background  the  An¬ 
nunciation  to  the  Shepherds.  In  a  trefoliated  panel 
above  is  Christ  as  the  Supreme  Judge.  In  the  left  wing 
is  a  full-length  figure  of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  and  in 
that  on  the  right  St.  Bartholomew.  In  the  upper  halves 
of  each  of  these  panels  are  the  Archangel  Gabriel  and 
the  Annunciate  Virgin. 

Wood,  the  centre  panel  (greatest  measurement) 
21*4  inches  high,  the  wings  16  by  4  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  collection  of  Count  Chabrieres- 
Arles,  Paris. 

Published  by  Siren  in  Art  in  America,  Tune,  1917, 
pp.  206-7. 

The  greatest  poet  and  imaginative  artist  among  all 
the  Sienese  of  the  early  Quattrocento  was  undoubtedly 
Sassetta.  He  possessed  a  peculiar  power  of  conferring 
a  mystical  touch  on  legendary  representations,  and 
of  revealing  the  soul-life  of  the  holy  men  whose  actions 
he  illustrated.  At  the  same  time  he  is  one  of  the  most 
careful  and  minute  technicians.  He  enjoys  introducing 
characteristic  details  of  architecture  and  landscape, 
with  the  utmost  care  and  in  soft,  transparent  tones.  All 
this  is  well  proved  by  the  two  pictures  here  on  exhibi¬ 
tion.  This  triptych  is  probably  the  earlier  one,  it  shows 

[137] 


some  similarity  in  style  with  the  art  of  Paolo  di  Gio¬ 
vanni  Fei,  Sassetta’s  teacher,  and  can  hardly  have  been 
painted  later  than  1430.  Yet  the  drawing  of  the  fig¬ 
ures  as  well  as  the  types  are  highly  characteristic  of 
Sassetta,  and  the  background  landscape  gives  us  a  hint 
of  his  imaginative  interpretation  of  nature. 

“The  Abbot  Blessing  a  Pilgrim  Saint,”  also  now 
exhibited,  is  probably  a  little  later.  It  belongs  to  a 
series  of  small  pictures  which  may  have  formed  part 
of  a  larger  ancona,  illustrating  incidents  from  the  Lives 
of  various  Saints  of  Franciscan  orders  (Hermits, 
Anchorites,  Vallombrosans,  etc.).  Panels  of  the  same 
size  as  the  present  one,  and  with  subjects  of  a  corre¬ 
sponding  kind,  are  to  be  found  in  the  Museum  at  Ber¬ 
lin,  in  the  Jarves  Collection  at  New  Haven,  in  the  col¬ 
lection  of  Prince  Ourousoff  in  Vienna,  in  Mr.  D.  F. 
Platt’s  collection  at  Englewood,  N.  J.,  and  elsewhere. 

The  reconstruction  of  this  altarpiece  offers  too  many 
problems  for  discussion.  But  the  possibility  of  such  a 
reconstruction  may  be  noted. 


Lent  by  Harold  I.  Pratt,  Esq . 


[138] 


No.  51.  SASSETTA 


No.  52. 


SASSETTA 


SASSETTA 
(Stefano  Di  Giovanni) 

(1392-1450) 

No.  52  An  Abbot  Blessing  a  Pilgrim  Saint 

The  meaning  is  not  obvious.  A  figure,  in  brown 
and  black  monastic  robes  and  holding  a  staff  in  his 
left  hand,  stands  on  the  right  in  an  attitude  of  submis¬ 
sion.  Apparently  he  is  being  sent  forth  on  an  evangelis¬ 
ing  mission  by  the  bearded  Abbot  who,  accompanied  by 
a  monk,  stands  at  the  door  of  a  monastic  chapel  on  the 
left.  In  the  background  the  buildings  of  a  convento 
with  cypresses  in  the  cortile. 

Wood,  17^4  by  1 3j4  inches. 

Published  by  Perkins,  in  Rassegna  d’Arte,  1907,  p. 
45. 

Berenson:  “Central  Italian  Painters,”  p.  245. 


Lent  by  Dan  Fellows  Platt,  Esq. 


[I4U 


1 


NICCOLO  DI  BUONACORSO 
(Active  1372-1388) 


No.  53  The  Coronation  of  the  Virgin 

The  Virgin,  in  a  robe  of  gold  texture,  is  being 
crowned  by  Christ  in  the  presence  of  the  heavenly  host 
who  form  a  background  of  seraphim,  with  the  cherubim 
in  a  higher  row  above  their  fellows.  In  the  foreground 
are  four  angels;  the  one  on  the  left  plays  on  a  keyed 
organ,  that  on  the  right  on  a  viola.  Gold  background, 
which  is  arched  and  cusped,  with  a  semi-precious  stone 
let  into  each  of  the  top  corners  of  the  frame. 

Wood,  17  by  lOj/2  inches. 

Published  by  Perkins  in  Rassegna  d’Arte,  1914,  p. 
98. 

This  precious  little  picture,  miniature-like  in  tech¬ 
nique  and  possessing  the  gleam  of  jewelry  or  enamel,  is 
one  of  a  series  illustrating  different  Scenes  from  the 
Life  of  the  Virgin.  Three  more  pictures  of  the  same 
set  are  known:  one  in  the  National  Gallery,  London, 
representing  the  “Marriage  of  the  Virgin,”  which  is 
signed;  one  in  the  Uffizi,  representing  the  “Presentation 
in  the  Temple,”  and  (according  to  Crowe  and  Caval- 
caselle),  one  in  the  Sciarra  collection  in  Siena,  repre¬ 
senting  the  Assumption  of  the  Virgin.  Evidently  the 
series  must  have  contained  more  subjects  from  the  same 
legend,  in  addition  to  those  mentioned  above. 


Lent  by  Philip  Lehman,  Esq. 


[142] 


No.  S3.  NICCOLO  DI  BUONACORSO 


No.  54.  GIOVANNI  DI  PAOLO 


GIOVANNI  DI  PAOLO 
(Active  1428-1481) 


Scenes  from  the  Life  of  St.  John  the  Baptist 


No.  54  St.  John  in  the  Desert 

St.  John,  in  a  long  red  robe  and  yellow  shoes, 
passes  out  through  the  gate  of  a  city.  Seen  again  in  the 
middle  distance,  he  encounters  rocky  country  and  a 
desolate  environment.  In  the  distance  is  a  walled  city. 

This,  and  each  of  the  other  five  panels,  measures 
about  27  by  15  inches. 

The  whole  set  was  formerly  in  the  collection  of  M. 
Edouard  Aynard,  and  sold  March,  1913,  No.  51. 

B.  Berenson:  “Central  Italian  Painters,”  1911, 
p.  177. 

This  was  not  the  only  occasion  on  which  Giovanni 
di  Paolo  painted  this  subject.  A  set  of  four  pictures  of 
this  same  subject  by  him  was  in  the  Butler  collection, 
and  exhibited  at  the  Burlington  Fine  Arts  Club,  1904, 
and  on  other  occasions. 

“Reinach:  “Repertoire  de  Peintures,”  1905,  I,  381, 
516,  and  523. 


Lent  by  Martin  A.  Ryerson,  Esq. 


[145] 


GIOVANNI  DI  PAOLO 
(Active  1428-1481) 


No,  55  St.  John  on  the  Banks  of  the  Jordan 

Wearing  a  camel’s  hair  coat,  and  standing  on  the 
banks  of  the  River,  he  makes  a  sign  to  the  Jews  near 
him.  From  the  right  approaches  Christ,  in  a  red  and 
yellow  robe  and  a  blue  mantle.  A  flat  country  with 
rocks,  and  a  city  in  the  distance. 


Lent  by  Martin  A.  Ryerson,  Esq. 


[146] 


No.  55.  GIOVANNI  DI  PAOLO 


No.  56 


GIOVANNI  DI  PAOLO 


GIOVANNI  DI  PAOLO 
(Active  1428-1481) 


No.  56  St.  John  in  Prison 

i m 

Behind  the  bars  of  his  cell,  where  he  has  been  im¬ 
prisoned  by  Herod,  he  converses  with  two  of  his  fol¬ 
lowers,  one  of  whom  sheds  tears  and  hides  his  face  in  his 
robe.  In  the  background  is  Herod’s  palace,  the  en¬ 
trance  to  which  is  guarded  by  a  chained  leopard.  A 
distant  view  through  the  archway. 


Lent  by  Martin  A ,  Ryerson,  Esq, 


[149] 


GIOVANNI  DI  PAOLO 
(Active  1428-1481) 


No.  57  Salome  Asks  for  the  Head  of  St.  John 

In  an  inner  courtyard  Salome,  in  a  long  dark  green 
robe  and  kneeling  on  an  oriental  carpet,  makes  her  re¬ 
quest  of  Herod.  Herod,  seated  at  table,  is  overcome 
with  emotion.  Two  of  his  courtiers  await  his  decision, 
and  officers  of  the  court  stand  near.  Pages,  serving 
maids  and  a  musician  discharge  their  duties. 


Lent  by  Martin  A.  Ryerson ,  Esq . 


No.  57.  GIOVANNI  DI  PAOLO 


No.  58.  GIOVANNI  DI  PAOLO 


GIOVANNI  DI  PAOLO 
(Active  1428-1481) 


No.  58  St.  John  is  Beheaded 

Two  of  the  bars  have  been  withdrawn  from  the 
window  we  have  already  seen.  The  headless  body  of 
the  Saint  lies  flat  on  the  window  sill,  and  blood  issues 
freely  therefrom.  The  executioner  sheathes  his  sword 
in  the  presence  of  the  dejected  followers,  while  a  menial 
removes  all  traces  of  the  martyrdom. 


Lent  by  Martin  A.  Ryerson,  Esq. 


[153] 


GIOVANNI  DI  PAOLO 
(Active  1428-1481) 


No.  59  Salome  Receives  the  Head  of  St.  John 

In  the  inner  courtyard,  already  seen,  an  officer  to 
the  dismay  of  the  attendants  enters  with  the  head  of 
the  Saint  on  a  charger.  In  the  foreground  he  offers  it 
to  Herod,  whose  gesture  indicates  horror  at  the  conse¬ 
quence  of  the  order  he  gave.  On  the  right  Salome,  in 
a  long  robe,  is  dancing. 


Lent  by  Martin  A.  Ryerson,  Esq . 


[154] 


No.  59.  GIOVANNI  DI  PAOLO 


No.  60.  GIOVANNI  DI  PAOLO 


GIOVANNI  DI  PAOLO 
(Active  1428-1481) 

No.  60  St.  John  the  Baptist. 

Three-quarter  length  figure  of  the  Saint,  in  green- 
shot  robe,  turned  three-quarters  to  the  right.  His  right 
hand  is  raised.  In  his  left  he  holds  his  Cross. 

Wood,  21%  by  15%  inches. 

Rassegna  d’Arte,  1914,  Vol.  XIV,  p.  166. 


Lent  by  Paul  J.  Sachs ,  Esq. 


[157] 


SANO  DI  PIETRO 
(1406-1481) 


No.  61  The  Madonna  and  Child,  with  Angels 

Three-quarter  length  figures.  The  Virgin  is  in  a 
robe  of  gold  texture  and  a  blue  mantle  edged  with  gold, 
and  having  a  gold  star  on  the  left  shoulder.  She  holds 
on  her  right  arm  the  Child,  who  is  in  a  robe  of  gold 
tissue  lined  with  red.  He  holds  the  cardellino  in  His 
right  hand  and  a  flower  in  His  upturned  left.  On  the 
extreme  left  and  right  are  small  figures  of  St.  Jerome 
and  St.  Bernardino.  Above  these  figures,  against  the 
gold  ground,  are  three  angels,  with  flames  of  fire  on 
their  heads,  at  either  side.  The  nimbi  are  tooled,  and 
incised  with  inscriptions. 

Wood,  arched,  25j4  by  16*4  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  collection  of  Sir  Robert  Gresley. 

In  style  this  painting  has  points  of  resemblance  with 
that  (No.  62)  which  was  in  the  Jean  Dollfus  collec¬ 
tion,  April,  1912,  and  is  now  shown.  Both  belong  to 
a  comparatively  early  period  of  this  artist’s  career,  and 
are  well  preserved. 


[1S8] 


No.  61.  SANO  DI  PIETRO 


No.  62.  SANC)  DI  PIETRO 


SANO  DI  PIETRO 
(1406-1481) 


No.  62  The  Madonna  and  Child,  with  Saints 

and  Angels 

The  Virgin,  seen  nearly  in  full  face  and  with  her 
head  leaning  towards  the  Child,  whose  weight  she  sup¬ 
ports  on  her  right  arm,  wears  rich,  gold-embroidered 
robes.  On  the  left  is  St.  Jerome,  and  on  the  right  St. 
Bernardino.  Above  are  four  angels,  whose  heads  are 
lit  with  flames  of  fire.  The  heads  of  the  figures  are 
nimbed  against  a  gold  ground,  and  those  of  the  Virgin 
and  Child  are  incised  with  letters. 

Wood,  pentagonally  curved,  26  by  19  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  sale  of  a  London  collector,  Febru¬ 
ary  27th,  1882,  No.  72. 

Subsequently  in  that  of  Jean  Dollfus,  sold  April, 
1912,  No.  76. 


Lent  by  the  Estate  of  Mrs.  Ferdinand  Hermann. 


FRANCESCO  DI  GIORGIO 
(1439-1502) 


No.  63  The  Madonna  and  Child. 

The  Virgin  is  in  her  robes  of  office,  her  mantle, 
which  frames  in  her  head,  bearing  a  gold  star  on  her 
left  shoulder.  On  her  right  hand  she  holds  the  Infant, 
who  wears  a  long  red  robe  and  looks  downwards. 

Wood,  arched,  18  by  11  inches. 

Rassegna  d’Arte,  1914,  Vol.  XIV,  p.  5. 


Lent  by  Paul  J .  Sachs,  Esq. 


No.  63.  FRANCESCO  DI  GIORGIO 


FRANCESCO  DI  GIORGIO 
(1439-1502) 


No.  64  The  Nativity 

The  Virgin  in  a  red  robe,  girt  at  the  waist,  and  a 
long  green  mantle  lined  with  ermine,  kneels  at  full 
length  towards  the  left  in  adoration  of  the  newly  born, 
who  lies  in  the  foreground  on  a  portion  of  the  Madon¬ 
na’s  mantle.  On  the  left  is  seated  St.  Joseph  in  a  blue 
gown,  with  a  yellow  mantle  over  his  knees.  A  pouch 
on  the  ground  near  him;  a  pilgrim’s  bottle  hangs  from 
the  lowest  branch  of  a  leaf-stripped  tree.  Wide- 
spreading  landscape,  with  ducks  swimming  in  a  lake 
and,  in  the  right  distance,  a  long  road  winding  up  a 
hill. 

Wood,  24  by  23j4  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  Robert  H.  Ben¬ 
son,  London. 

Exhibited  in  the  Exhibition  of  Sienese  Art,  at  the 
Burlington  Fine  Arts  Club,  London,  1904,  (No.  33). 

This  picture  is  a  particularly  interesting  example  of 
Francesco  di  Giorgio’s  art,  because  it  illustrates  not 
only  the  strong  sculpturesque  quality  and  firm  drawing 
which  he,  more  than  any  other  Sienese  painter,  insisted 
upon ;  but  also  because  it  shows  the  two  main  currents 
of  style  that  were  of  paramount  importance  in  his  evo¬ 
lution  as  a  painter.  The  one  may  be  called  the  Manteg- 
nesque  current,  the  other  purely  Sienese.  The  first 
reached  him  through  Girolamo  da  Cremona,  who  was 


U6S] 


a  close  follower  of  Mantegna  and  came  to  Siena  in  1467 
to  execute  certain  miniatures.  It  is  strikingly  dominat¬ 
ing  in  the  figure  of  St.  Joseph,  which  should  be  com¬ 
pared  with  Girolamo’s  St.  Joseph  in  the  Nativity  in  the 
Jarves  Collection;  these  two  figures  are,  indeed,  very 
closely  related.  The  Virgin,  on  the  other  hand,  is 
nearly  related  to  Neroccio’s  sweet  Madonnas,  which 
Francesco  had  opportunities  of  studying  when  working 
in  a  common  bottega  with  Neroccio.  Although 
Neroccio  was  the  younger  of  the  two  partners,  he  cer¬ 
tainly  led  the  way  in  the  presentation  of  feminine 
beauty. 

The  peculiar  distinctness  of  these  two  different  cur¬ 
rents  justifies  the  dating  of  the  picture  in  a  relatively 
early  period  of  Francesco  di  Giorgio’s  career;  it  can 
hardly  have  been  painted  much  later  than  1470.  This 
is  confirmed  by  a  comparison  of  it  with  the  large  Coro¬ 
nation  of  the  Virgin,  in  the  Siena  Gallery,  which  Fran¬ 
cesco  executed  in  1472,  and  in  which  similar  figures 
recur.  In  1475  he  painted  a  larger  Nativity,  where  the 
drawing  of  the  figures  is  freer,  though  the  general  set¬ 
ting  and  the  landscape  recall  the  smaller,  more  archaic 
Nativity  now  exhibited. 

iH  i  ‘i)lt 

Lent  by  George  and  Florence  Blumenthal 


[166] 


! 


No.  64.  FRANCESCO  DI  GIORGIO 


No.  65. 


NEROCCIO 


NEROCCIO 

(1447-1500) 


No.  65  The  Madonna  and  Child 

The  Virgin,  in  a  tunic  of  gold  texture  and  a  blue 
mantle  which  in  part  envelopes  her  head,  is  turned 
three-quarters  to  the  left.  She  presses  to  her  right 
shoulder  the  Infant,  who  wears  a  gold-colored  robe, 
and  places  her  left  hand  on  His  legs. 

Wood,  16^2  by  9^  inches. 

This  charming  little  Madonna  must  have  been 
painted  by  Neroccio  about  the  same  time  as  the  well 
known  large  triptych,  in  the  Siena  Gallery,  with  the 
standing  Madonna,  dated  1476,  or  perhaps  a  little 
earlier.  It  shows  plainly  Neroccio’s  close  stylistic  con¬ 
nection  with  Francesco  di  Giorgio,  with  whom  he  kept 
a  joint  studio  for  some  years  up  to  1475.  Among 
other  early  works  by  Neroccio  which  are  most  closely 
related  in  style  to  this  little  picture  may  be  mentioned 
the  Annunciation,  in  the  Jarves  Collection,  and  the 
wonderful  Madonna  (No.  295)  in  the  Siena  Gallery. 
In  these  early  works  by  Neroccio  the  lyrical  sentiment 
is  most  pure  and  appealing,  and  the  melody  of  line 
has  the  softest  rhythm. 


Lent  by  Otto  H.  Kahn,  Esq. 


[169] 


BENVENUTO  DI  GIOVANNI 
(1436-1517) 


No.  66  The  Nativity 

The  Virgin  kneels,  on  the  right,  in  adoration  of  the 
newly  born.  On  the  left  kneels  St.  Joseph,  and  behind 
him  the  Shepherds.  In  the  background  are  the  ox  and 
the  ass.  In  the  distance,  on  a  hill  on  the  right,  is  the 
Annunciation  to  the  Shepherds.  Above,  the  Eternal 
appears  in  a  circular  glory. 

Across  the  front  of  the  frame: 

“ Ipsum  Quern  Qenuit  Adoravit  Maria.” 

Wood,  23  by  16^4  inches. 

Published  by  Perkins  in  Rassegna  d’Arte,  1913, 
page  123. 

The  attribution  of  this  picture  offers  an  interesting 
problem  which  probably  for  some  time  to  come  will  re¬ 
main  a  subject  for  discussion  among  specialists.  If  it  is 
a  work  by  Benvenuto  di  Giovanni,  as  now  claimed  with 
much  show  of  reason  by  the  owner  of  the  picture, 
it  must  have  been  painted  at  a  period  when  Benvenuto 
and  his  son  Girolamo  cooperated  most  closely,  because 
the  types  of  the  figures  are  very  like  those  which  can 
be  observed  in  Girolamo’s  early  works.  It  is  also  worth 
noticing  that  exactly  the  same  composition  was  re¬ 
peated  by  Girolamo  di  Benvenuto  in  a  picture  which 
we  saw  some  time  ago  in  a  private  collection  in  London, 
and  which  is  now  on  the  market. 


Lent  by  Dan  Fellows  Plait,  Esq. 


[1701 


No.  66.  BENVENUTO  DI  GIOVANNI 


No.  67.  PIETRO  DI  DOMENICO 


PIETRO  DI  DOMENICO 
(1457-1506) 


No.  67  The  Madonna  and  Child,  with  Angels 

The  Virgin,  whose  mantle  is  fastened  with  a  morse, 
holds  before  her  the  nude  Christ  to  whom  she  gives  a 
carnation.  On  either  side,  and  further  back,  is  an 
angel ;  the  one  on  the  left  with  hands  superposed,  and 
that  on  the  right  with  hands  joined. 

Wood,  17*4  by  13  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  collection  of  Capt.  R.  Langton 
Douglas,  London. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  exquisitely  pre¬ 
served  picture  is  an  early  work  by  Pietro  di  Domenico 
One  may  trace  in  it  the  influence  of  older  and  better 
known  contemporary  masters,  such  as  Matteo  di  Gio¬ 
vanni  and  Francesco  di  Giorgio,  though  well 
blended  with  the  rustic  naivete  of  Pietro.  But  the 
picture  is  not  only  characteristic  of  the  painter;  it  is 
one  of  his  finest  works.  This  may  be  ascertained  by 
comparing  it  with  other  Madonnas  by  Pietro  in 
America — one  is  in  the  Metropolitan  Museum,  and  one 
in  the  Blumenthal  collection — or  with  the  far  inferior, 
larger  compositions  by  the  master  in  Siena. 


Lent  by  Frank  L.  Babbott ,  Esq. 


PACCHIAROTTO 
(Active  1474-1535) 


No.  68  The  Madonna  and  Child 

The  Madonna  is  turned  slightly  to  the  right  and 
presses  her  head  against  that  of  the  Child,  who  has 
placed  His  arms  round  the  Virgin’s  neck.  With  her 
hands  she  supports  His  body  against  her  left  side. 

Wood,  18y2  by  \\l/2  inches. 

This  picture,  which  originally  belonged  to  the 
Cinotti  collection  in  Siena,  was  exhibited  at  the  Siena 
exhibition  in  1904  under  the  name  of  Matteo  di  Gio¬ 
vanni.  The  attribution  was  at  that  time  accepted  by 
most  of  the  critics,  a  fact  which  proves  how  closely  the 
picture  is  related  to  Matteo  di  Giovanni’s  works.  It 
may  be  compared,  for  instance,  to  Matteo’s  Madonna 
in  the  John  G.  Johnson  collection  in  Philadelphia. 
Yet  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  it  is  an  early  work  of 
Pacchiarotto.  Particularly  the  drawing  of  the  eyes  and 
the  mouth  proves  that  this  attribution  is  correct. 


Mfi 

Lent  by  Dan  Fellows  Platt,  Esq. 


[174] 


No.  68.  PACCHI AROTTO 


CENTRAL  ITALIAN  SCHOOLS 


PIETRO  CAVALLINI 
(Active  1270-1315) 


No.  69  The  Madonna  and  Child 

The  Virgin,  seated  on  a  cushion  of  cinnabar-red 
placed  on  a  wooden  and  inlaid  throne,  wears  a  dark 
blue,  ample  mantle,  which  is  striped  with  gold  and 
descends  to  her  feet,  which,  unseen,  rest  on  a  footstool. 
She  inclines  her  head  to  the  Child,  who,  in  a  robe  of 
cinnabar-red,  rests  on  her  extended  left  arm.  He  holds 
a  scroll  in  His  left  hand.  Above,  on  either  side  of  the 
Virgin’s  head,  is  a  medallion  containing  a  small  half- 
length  figure  of  an  angel  in  richly  embroidered  robes. 
Gold  background. 

Wood,  48^4  by  2814  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  Old  Church  at  Calahorra,  near 
Miranda,  Provincia  de  la  Rioja. 

The  picture,  which  comes  from  Spain,  was  tradi¬ 
tionally  ascribed  to  Cimabue,  but  it  is  evident  on 
various  stylistic  grounds  that  it  cannot  be  a  work  by 
that  Florentine  master  of  the  Duegento.  Generally 
speaking,  it  shows  a  remarkable  mixture  of  Byzantine 
and  purely  classic  elements  of  style,  just  what  might  be 
expected  from  the  leading  Roman  painter  at  the  end  of 
the  Thirteenth  Century.  A  close  stylistic  comparison 
of  this  picture  with  Cavallini’s  well-known  frescoes 
in  Santa  Cecilia  in  Trastevere,  in  Rome,  affords  con¬ 
clusive  proofs  for  our  attribution. 

As  far  as  we  know,  this  is  the  only  panel  picture  by 
Cavallini  which  has  as  yet  come  to  light.  It  takes  its 
place  at  the  side  of  Cimabue’s  two  well-known  large 
Madonnas,  in  the  Louvre  and  in  the  Accademia  in 
Florence.  The  picture  should  be  dated  about  1273- 
1276,  a  time  when,  according  to  documentary  evidence, 
Cavallini  and  Cimabue  were  both  active  in  Rome. 

Lent  by  Otto  H .  Kahn,  Eu 7. 


im] 


No.  69.  PIETRO  CAVALLINI 


- 


No.  70. 


GIOVANNI  BARONZIO 


GIOVANNI  BARONZIO  DA  RIMINI 
(Active  1330-1350) 


No.  70  The  Birth,  The  Naming,  and  The  Cir¬ 
cumcision  of  St.  J  ohn 

The  action  is  concentrated,  on  the  left,  round  the 
large  bedstead  in  which  St.  Elizabeth  is  lying.  Two 
serving  maids  attend  the  newly  born.  In  the  second  in¬ 
cident  Zaccharias,  in  the  foreground,  inscribes  the 
name  of  the  Saint  on  a  scroll  in  the  presence  of  two 
witnesses.  In  the  adjoining  room  on  the  right  the  Cir¬ 
cumcision  is  being  performed.  Strongly  outlined  archi¬ 
tectural  setting. 

Wood,  18^4  by  15)4  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  A.  E.  Street, 
London. 

Exhibited  at  the  Royal  Academy,  1880,  (No.  231), 
as  by  an  “Unknown  painter.” 

Burlington  Alagazine,  November,  1916,  p.  20. 

This  is  one  of  a  series  of  four  small  pictures  illus¬ 
trating  the  History  of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  two  of  which 
are  in  a  private  collection  in  England,  and  one  prob¬ 
ably  still  on  the  market  in  Paris.  They  were  originally 
arranged  on  both  sides  of  a  large  central  picture,  evi¬ 
dently  representing  the  Baptist,  and  probably  to  be 
identified  with  the  one  in  Christ  Church  Library, 
Oxford,  representing  the  enthroned  St.  John.  It  was 
there  formerly  ascribed  to  Cimabue. 

The  reasons  for  this  reconstruction  of  the  scattered 
altarpiece  have  been  shortly  stated  in  the  article  in  The 
Burlington  Magazine  referred  to  above,  where  a  num¬ 
ber  of  Giovanni  Baronzio’s  pictures  are  discussed.  The 
best  known  among  them  is  the  signed  ancona  in  the  gal¬ 
lery  at  Urbino,  dated  1345.  The  altarpiece,  of  which 
the  present  picture  formed  part,  may  have  been  a  little 
earlier.  One  can  here  still  feel  the  Byzantine  tradition, 
though  strongly  modified  by  the  influence  of  Giotto  and 
Pietro  Lorenzetti. 

Lent  by  Harold  I.  Pratt ,  Esq. 

[Hi] 


ALEGRETTO  NUZI 
(1306-1385) 


No.  71  Christ  on  the  Cross 

Two  angels  fly  inwards  beneath  the  arms  of  the 
Crucified  to  catch  the  blood.  At  the  foot  of  the  Cross 
is  Mary  Magdalene;  on  the  left  are  the  Marys;  on  the 
right  is  St.  John,  with  clasped  hands.  In  the  fore¬ 
ground  kneels  a  Dominican  nun.  In  the  upper  portion 
of  the  composition,  but  detached  from  the  main  action, 
are  (1)  on  the  left,  a  small  half  length  figure  of  St. 
John  the  Evangelist  in  the  cauldron  of  boiling  oil,  and 
(2)  on  the  right  St.  Francis.  Gold  background. 

Wood,  (arched)  29  by  19J4  inches. 

This  Crucifixion  must  have  been  painted  by  Ale- 
gretto  Nuzi  at  a  rather  early  epoch  of  his  career,  but 
after  he  had  left  Florence  (where  he  probably  studied 
in  the  bottega  of  Orcagna)  and  had  settled  in  his  native 
city  of  Fabriano.  It  shows  close  stylistic  affinities  with 
the  altarpieces  by  Alegretto  at  Fabriano  and  at 
Macerata,  dated  respectively  1366  and  1369.  The  well 
drawn  figures  with  the  large  sculptural  heads  reveal  the 
master  in  full  possession  of  his  individual  method  of 
expression,  and  in  a  rather  interesting  emotional  aspect. 


[  182 1 


•IM* 


No.  71.  ALEGRETTO  NUZI 


No.  72.  ALEGRETTO  NUZI 


No.  73.  ALEGRETTO  NUZI 


ALEGRETTO  NUZI 
(Active  1360-1385) 


No.  72  The  Martyrdom  of  St.  Stephen 

The  Saint,  kneeling  in  a  rocky  landscape  and  before 
a  tree,  is  in  profile  to  the  right.  He  wears  the  red 
dress  of  a  martyr  and  a  white  under-robe,  as  he  prays 
to  heaven.  Behind  him,  and  from  the  left,  approach 
four  figures,  two  of  whom  are  casting  stones  at  him; 
some  already  thrown  are  on  the  ground  by  his  side. 
The  crenellated  walls  of  a  fortified  city  in  the  left 
background. 

Wood,  9  by  13^4  inches. 

ALEGRETTO  NUZI 
(Active  1360-1385) 

No.  73  The  Martyrdom  of  St.  Ursula  and  Her 
Attendant  Virgins 

In  a  rocky  country,  seen  against  a  gold  ground, 
Alaric  is  on  horse-back  on  the  left  accompanied  by  his 
officers;  he  commands  his  Huns,  who  are  armed  with 
swords  or  bows  and  arrows,  to  massacre  St.  Ursula, 
whose  neck  is  already  pierced  by  an  arrow,  together 
with  the  legendary  number  of  her  11,000  attendant 
Virgins. 

Wood,  9  by  13^4  inches. 

These  two  panels  were  evidently  painted  by  Ale- 
gretto  Nuzi,  at  a  period  when  his  memories  of  Or¬ 
cagna’s  bottega  had  not  yet  completely  faded  away. 
Particularly,  the  bright  color  scheme  with  luminous 
red,  orange,  blue  and  violet  tones  betrays  connection 
with  the  art  of  Orcagna  and  Nardo  di  Cione,  yet  the 
drawing  of  the  figures,  their  elongated  types  with  big 
almond-shaped  eyes  and  curved  noses,  as  well  as  the 
general  execution  point  to  a  rather  mature  period  in 
Alegretto’s  career,  that  is  after  1365. 

[iss] 


JACOPO  DEGLI  AVANZI 
(Active  1367-1390) 


No.  74  Martyrdom  of  St.  Catharine 

In  the  centre,  and  on  the  left,  the  Saint  kneels  at 
the  moment  that  she  is  being  beheaded;  her  crown  has 
fallen  to  the  ground.  The  executioner’s  sword  is  raised. 
A  crowd  presses  forward  on  either  side.  The  angels 
are  seen  in  an  apparition  above  the  head  of  the  Saint. 

Wood,  24j4  by  26^4  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  Cozzadini  collection,  Bologna,  and 
sold  in  1906. 

The  style  of  Jacopo  degli'  Avanzi  is  in  direct  con¬ 
tinuation  of  Giovanni  Baronzio’s  artistic  mode  of 
expression.  The  tendency  towards  naturalistic  narra¬ 
tion,  which  may  be  observed  in  this  early  master’s  work 
is  still  more  pronounced  in  the  younger  painter.  Both 
are  characteristic  representatives  of  the  Romagna 
School  that  was  called  into  life  by  Giotto’s  activities  in 
Padua,  Rimini,  Ravenna  and  elsewhere  along  the  east¬ 
ern  coast.  Most  of  the  altar-pieces  executed  by  these 
masters  are  large  anconas,  composed  of  a  number  of 
small  pictures  arranged  in  long  rows  within  large  orna¬ 
mental  frames.  There  are  several  such  anconas  by 
Jacopo  degli  Avanzi  still  preserved  in  Bologna.  The 
present  picture  has  formed  part  of  a  series  illustrating 
the  Life  of  St.  Catharine,  and  of  which  one  more  is  to 
be  found  in  Mr.  Platt’s  collection.  They  are  remark¬ 
able  as  illustrations,  and  are  decorative  in  color. 


Lent  by  Dan  Fellows  Platt s  Esq. 


[186] 


SIMONE  DA  BOLOGNA 
(Active  1370) 


No.  75  The  Coronation  of  the  Virgin 


The  Madonna,  seen  at  full  length,  is  being  crowned 
by  Christ.  The  canopy  of  the  throne  is  borne  by  two 
angels,  and  behind  them  are  three  seraphim  and  six 
cherubim.  Still  higher  up  are  other  angels. 

In  the  left  wing  in  separate  panels,  in  three  tiers, 
are  (I)  St.  Benedict,  (II)  St.  John  in  the  Isle  of 
Patmos,  and  (III)  The  Announcing  Angel.  In  the 
right  wing,  similarly  disposed,  are  (I)  St.  Nicholas, 
(II)  St.  John  the  Baptist,  and  (III)  The  Annunciate 
Virgin. 

Inscribed  in  the  centre,  below: 

“ Symon  de  Bononia  pinxit ” 

Wood,  the  centre  panel  19^4  by  9 >5  inches. 

Each  of  the  wings,  8  by  4%  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  Marcille  collection,  Paris,  and  sold 
March  6,  1876,  No.  61. 

In  the  Somzee  collection,  Brussels,  March,  1904, 
No.  368. 

G.  Rosini:  “Storia  della  Pittura  Italiana,”  1848, 
Vol.  II,  p.  145. 

Simone  da  Bologna,  better  known  as  Simone  dei 
Crocefissi,  is  one  of  the  few  early  masters  who  seldom 
failed  to  sign  his  pictures  with  his  full  name,  thus 
saving  critics  much  trouble.  His  manner  is  well 
known  from  several  large  anconas  in  the  Pinacoteca  at 


[189] 


Bologna,  of  which  we  may  mention  in  particular, 
No.  163,  representing  the  “Coronation  of  the  Virgin,” 
six  Saints  in  full  length,  six  in  half  length,  and  the 
Crucifixion.  The  Coronation  is  there  treated  in  exactly 
the  same  way  as  in  the  present  picture,  and  the  very 
elongated  types  of  the  figures  are  absolutely  the  same. 
Yet,  it  is  a  fact  that  Simone  da  Bologna  appears  more 
attractive  in  his  smaller  pictures  than  in  his  large  altar- 
pieces.  He  has  a  remarkable  feeling  for  ornamental 
beauty  and  brilliancy  of  colour,  but  hardly  any  under¬ 
standing  of  structural  drawing  or  monumental  design 
such  as  we  meet  in  contemporary  Florentine  art.  The 
unusual  fine  preservation  of  this  little  domestic  altar- 
piece,  in  its  old  frame,  adds  to  its  interest  as  an  example 
of  the  Bologna  School  towards  the  end  of  the  Four¬ 
teenth  Century. 


[190] 


No.  76.  BENEDETTO  BONFIGLI 


BENEDETTO  BONFIGLI 

(1425-1496) 


No.  76  The  Madonna  and  Child,  with  Angels 

The  Madonna  in  a  red  tunic,  cut  square  across  the 
breast,  a  white  kerchief  which  covers  her  head  and  falls 
on  to  her  shoulders,  and  a  blue  mantle,  looks  with  ten¬ 
der  expression  at  the  child.  The  Virgin  offers  a  pome¬ 
granate  to  the  Infant,  who  reclines  in  her  lap.  On  the 
left  are  two  red-clothed  angels  with  long  fair  hair.  The 
halos  are  tooled  in  gold.  Background  of  rocks. 

Wood,  arched,  31^4  by  21  inches. 

There  are  few  provincial  painters  more  winning  in 
spirit  and  more  charmingly  naive,  in  their  way  of  re¬ 
flecting  impressions  received  from  more  famous  and 
important  contemporaries,  than  Bonfigli.  It  is  easy, 
indeed,  to  see  that  he  has  learnt  much  from  Gentile  da 
Fabriano  and  the  San  Severino  painters,  and  almost 
as  much  from  the  Florentine  Quattrocentisti,  through 
Benozzo  Gozzoli.  But  it  would  be  misleading  to  call 
him  an  epigon,  or  imitator,  because  he  fuses  all  these 
impressions  in  an  artistic  form  filled  with  individual 
feeling.  His  mild  Umbrian  temperament  is  the  soul¬ 
ful  element  in  the  Madonna  pictures,  of  which  the 
present  is  one  of  the  best.  The  composition  may  have 
been  suggested  by  some  of  Fra  Filippo’s  or  Benozzo’s 
Madonnas,  but  the  sentiment  as  well  as  the  decorative 
qualities  of  the  picture  are  typically  Umbrian.  In 
these  respects  it  stands  almost  on  a  level  with  Bonfigli’s 
full-length  Madonna,  attended  by  music-making  angels, 
in  the  Pinacoteca  at  Perugia,  though  the  latter  picture 
has  still  more  charm  of  tone  and  more  of  that  visionary 
quality  which  gives  it  a  touch  of  fairyland.  If  the 
usual  dating  of  Bonfigli’s  well  known  large  Adoration 
of  the  Magi,  at  Perugia,  as  about  1450  is  right,  this 
Madonna  must  be  assigned  to  the  beginning  of  the 
fifties.  The  two  pictures  are  evidently  of  the  same 
period. 

Lent  by  Otto  H.  Kahn,  Esq. 

[193] 


MATTEO  DA  GUALDO 
(Active  1460-1503) 


No.  77  The  Madonna  and  Child 

The  Virgin,  wearing  a  rose  colored  tunic,  a  green 
mantle  edged  with  gold,  and  a  transparent  veil,  holds 
the  Divine  Child  on  her  lap.  He  has  a  white  tunic 
and  a  coral  necklace,  and  in  His  left  hand  holds  a  bird. 
The  highly  ornamental  marble  throne,  with  a  niche 
above,  is  decorated  with  pilasters,  and  is  set  in  a  light 
green  plot  of  grass. 

Arched  panel,  23  by  15  inches. 

The  picture  was  traditionally  ascribed  to  the 
Ferrarese  School,  but  it  is  not  distinguished  by  that 
sculptural  and  bronze-like  quality  of  form  which  is 
characteristic  of  the  creations  of  Cossa  or  Tura.  It 
is  altogether  too  pretty  for  these  masters.  It  rather 
reveals  some  affinity  with  the  mild  and  lyric  spirit  of 
Umbrian  art,  though  the  forms  are  more  refined  than 
in  the  average  example  of  Umbrian  painting.  The  sub¬ 
dued  and  mild  colour  of  the  picture  also  points  to  a 
painter  who  worked  under  the  influence  of  the  Um¬ 
brians  rather  than  that  of  the  Ferrarese.  Such  a  painter 
was  Matteo  da  Gualdo,  one  of  the  most  talented  of 
the  artists  of  the  Marches  during  the  latter  part  of  the 
Fifteenth  Century.  The  closest  stylistic  resemblances 
with  this  picture  may  be  observed  in  Matteo’s 
triptych  in  the  Gallery  at  Gualdo-Tadino,  painted  in 
1462.  There  we  find  the  same  peculiar  treatment  of  the 
stretched  folds,  which  gives  the  mantle  an  appearance 
of  draperie  mouillee,  and  the  same  characteristic  colour 
scheme  which  has  almost  a  tone  of  aquarelle. 


[194] 


No.  77.  MATTEO  DA  GUALDO 


No.  78.  COSIMO  TURA 


COSIMO  TURA 
(Active  1440-1495) 


No.  78  The  Madonna  and  Child 

The  Madonna,  at  full  length  and  seated  on  a  scarlet 
settee,  has  an  ivory-white  hood  in  addition  to  her  tradi¬ 
tional  robes.  With  down-cast  gaze,  she  contemplates 
the  Infant  who,  in  a  green  robe,  is  asleep  between  her 
knees.  Behind  the  Virgin  is  a  purplish-red,  flame-like 
halo,  the  ground  is  pale  purple,  the  foliage  yellow- 
green  or  a  grey-blue  foundation.  Above  in  two  circu¬ 
lar  compartments,  enclosed  in  an  embossed  design,  is 
the  Annunciation. 

Wood,  21  by  15  inches. 

There  are  few  pictures,  even  by  a  master  like  Tura, 
more  charmingly  capricious  in  design,  or  more  inti¬ 
mate  in  feeling.  The  sleeping  Child  alone  is  a  little 
poem.  The  Madonna  is  very  closely  related  to  another 
small  Virgin  by  Tura  in  the  Palazzo  Colonna  in  Rome ; 
the  rather  over-emphasized  ornamental  details  recall 
the  enthroned  Allegorical  Figure,  which  passed  from 
the  Layard  collection  to  the  National  Gallery  in 
London. 


Lent  by  Harold  I.  Pratt,  Esq. 


[197] 


GIOVANNI  FRANCESCO  DA  RIMINI 
(Active  1459-1469) 


No.  79  The  Eternal  Surrounded  by  Angels 

God  the  Father  is  despatching  the  Holy  Spirit  from 
His  open  hands.  He  is  bearded,  wears  a  sleeved  tunic 
with  a  stole,  and  a  green-lined  mantle.  On  either  side 
are  two  angels  seen  at  three-quarter  length;  their  hands 
are  folded  and  they  wear  robes  of  yellow,  red,  puce  and 
blue. 

Wood,  Tondo,  18  inches  in  diameter. 

Formerly  in  the  Collection  of  Charles  Butler. 

Published  by  Perkins  in  Rassegna  d’Arte,  1915, 
page  74. 

An  unusually  successful  work  by  Giovanni  Fran¬ 
cesco  da  Rimini,  remarkable  for  its  decorative  design 
and  its  brilliant  color.  A  small  tondo  with  the  same 
subject  is  in  the  Cook  collection  at  Richmond,  Surrey 
(Cf.  “Catalogue,”  Vol.  I,  No.  47),  but  it  is  inferior 
to  the  present  one  in  quality  and  decorative  effect. 


££#010#  'mui. 

Lent  by  Frank  L.  Babbott,  Esq. 


[198] 


No.  79.  G.  F.  DA  RIMINI 


No.  80.  FIORENZO  1)1  LORENZO 


FIORENZO  DI  LORENZO 
(1440-1521) 


No.  80  Portrait  of  a  Young  Man 

Bust  length;  three-quarters  to  the  left.  In  black 
doublet  pleated  down  the  front,  and  fastened  with  two 
small  buttons  at  the  neck;  above  it  the  edge  of  an  under¬ 
garment  of  fine  linen.  Blue  eyes,  bushy  eyebrows,  and 
a  zazzera  of  curly  light  brown  hair.  He  wears  a  small 
cap  of  rich  red  material.  Strongly  outlined  against  a 
distant  landscape  background;  a  river  flows  across  the 
composition ;  several  small,  red-clothed  figures  are  vari¬ 
ously  employed  in  rural  pursuits;  another  winding 
stream  meanders  through  the  flat  country  beyond.  Blue 
mountains  on  the  horizon.  Fleecy  clouds  in  the  clear 
blue  sky. 

Canvas,  20 y2  by  14  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  collection  of  the  Earl  of  Wemyss, 
at  Gosford. 


Lent  by  Mrs.  Benjamin  Thaw. 


[2on 


ANTONIO  DA  VITERBO 
(Active  1478-1509) 


No.  81  The  Madonna  and  Child,  With  St. 
Jerome  and  Francis  of  Assisi 

Three-quarter  length  figures.  The  Virgin,  whose 
blue  mantle  is  lined  with  green  and  fastened  with  a 
morse,  is  seated  in  the  centre  and  holds  the  Infant  who 
sits  on  a  cushion  placed  on  her  lap.  The  fingers  of  His 
right  hand  are  raised,  and  in  His  left  He  holds  a 
pomegranate.  On  the  left,  and  further  back,  is  St. 
Jerome  accompanied  by  his  lion;  on  the  right  St. 
Francis  of  Assisi  with  a  Cross.  Plain  sky  background. 

Wood,  24  by  16  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  collection  of  the  Marquis  d’Aoust. 

This  picture  shows  Antonio  da  Viterbo  in  a  rather 
Peruginesque  mood.  The  composition  is  one  often  re¬ 
peated  by  the  Umbrian  master,  and  the  two  Saints  be¬ 
hind  the  Madonna  are  closely  derived  from  Perugino’s 
figures.  The  Child  betrays  some  connection  with  Sig¬ 
norelli,  but  the  Virgin  herself  shows  the  mild  provincial 
strain  of  the  Viterbo  painter.  Among  the  numerous 
followers  of  Perugino,  Antonio  is  distinguished  by  an 
individuality  that  has  a  quaint  charm  of  its  own. 

Lent  by  Michael  Friedsam,  Esq. 


[  202  ] 


No.  81.  ANTONIO  DA  VITERBO 


No.  82.  ANTONI AZZO  ROMANO 


ANTONIAZZO  ROMANO 
(Active  1460-1508) 


No.  82  The  Madonna  and  Child 


The  Virgin,  in  her  traditional  robes,  holds  on  the 
parapet  before  her  the  standing  Infant  who  wears  a 
coral  necklace,  and  is  in  part  covered  by  the  gauze 
material  which  He  grasps  in  His  right  hand.  His 
right  hand  is  raised  to  bless  in  the  Greek  manner.  The 
background  is  of  gold,  and  patterned  with  floriated 
designs  placed  in  ogee-shaped  compartments. 

Wood,  22^4  by  14^  inches. 

No  doubt  this  is  one  of  Antoniazzo  Romano’s  most 
pleasing  Madonnas.  It  repeats,  with  slight  modifica¬ 
tions,  a  composition  which  was  almost  canonical  in  the 
Umbrian  School  towards  the  end  of  the  Fifteenth  Cen¬ 
tury,  and  was  repeated  by  a  number  of  Perugino’s  and 
Pintoricchio’s  followers.  Antoniazzo  has  emphasized 
the  ornamental  aspect  of  the  picture  by  adorning  the 
golden  background  with  a  brocade  pattern,  in  the  same 
manner  that  he  treated  the  background  of  the  large 
altarpiece  representing  the  Madonna  between  St.  Peter 
and  St.  Paul,  with  twelve  members  of  the  Rota,  in  the 
Vatican  Gallery.  That  is  probably  Antoniazzo’s  finest 
artistic  achievement,  and  it  is  only  just  to  say  that  the 
present  Madonna  is  closely  allied  to  the  Vatican  altar- 
I  piece,  both  in  style  and  quality.  It  was  painted  be¬ 
tween  1480  and  1490. 


[205  ] 


GIANFRANCESCO  PENNI 
(1488-1528) 


No.  83  Portrait  of  a  Roman  Lady 

Half  length;  three-quarters  to  the  left.  In  a  rich 
puce  dress,  the  breast,  sleeves  and  shoulders  trimmed 
with  bands  of  gold  material;  a  thin  gauze  insertion 
over  the  shoulders.  She  wears  a  gold  coronet.  Archi¬ 
tectural  background,  with  a  rich  green  curtain  on  the 
right. 

Canvas,  26^4  by  20%  inches. 

The  place  of  honor  among  Raphael’s  Roman  pupils 
may  without  hesitation  be  accorded  to  Giovanni  Fran¬ 
cesco  Penni.  He  approaches  his  master,  particularly 
as  a  draftsman,  more  closely  than  any  other  of  the 
painters  who  followed  in  the  wake  of  the  young  Um¬ 
brian.  The  greater  part  of  Penni’s  drawings  have  been 
honored  with  Raphael’s  name,  and  the  same  has  indeed 
happened  to  many  of  his  paintings,  particularly  his 
portraits.  This  is  quite  intelligible,  when  one  stands 
before  such  classic  examples  of  portraiture  as  Penni’s 
representation  of  an  “Old  Man,”  in  the  Hermitage  at 
Petrograd,  a  picture  which  almost  stands  on  a  level 
with  Raphael’s  famous  “Portrait  of  a  Youth”  in  the 
Czartoryski  Gallery  at  Cracow.  The  present  portrait 
of  “A  Roman  Lady”  is  most  closely  connected  with 
the  portrait  in  the  Museum  at  Strassburg,  though  not 
quite  so  purely  Raphaelesque  in  composition  and  ex¬ 
pression  as  that  picture,  which  is  composed  on  the  pat¬ 
tern  of  a  Raphael.  It  must  have  been  executed  during 
Penni’s  very  latest  period;  he  died  almost  as  young  as 
his  master,  40  years  of  age,  in  1528. 


[  20(5  ] 


No.  83.  GIAN  FRANCESCO  PENNI 


IV. 


LOMBARD  SCHOOL 


VINCENZO  FOPPA 
(1430-1515) 


No.  84  The  Madonna  and  Child,  with  Angels, 

and  a  Donor 

The  Madonna,  seen  in  full  front  and  nearly  at  full 
length,  is  enthroned.  On  either  side,  and  at  the  back, 
of  the  throne  an  angel  draws  aside  the  curtain  which 
forms  a  canopy.  The  Child  places  His  left  hand  on 
the  book  that  rests  on  His  lap  and,  with  a  gesture,  turns 
towards  the  diminutive  half  length  figure  of  a  man  who 
kneels  in  the  left  foreground. 

Wood,  29 44  by  22  inches. 

Published  by  Malaguzzi-Valeri  in  Rassegna 
d’Arte,  1909,  page  84. 

This  is  a  mature,  not  to  say  late,  work  by  Foppa, 
related  to  the  large  enthroned  Madonna  in  the  Brera 
gallery.  The  lovely  angels  who  are  drawing  aside  the 
curtains  remind  us  already  of  Foppa’s  pupil,  Borgog- 
none,  but  the  Virgin  is  perfectly  characteristic  of  the 
older  master. 


Lent  by  Dan  Fellows  Platt,  Esq. 


[210] 


No.  84.  VINCENZO  FOPPA 


No.  85.  BOLTRAFFIO 


GIOVANNI  ANTONIO  BOLTRAFFIO 
(1467-1516) 


No.  85  Portrait  of  a  Young  Man 

Bust  length ;  slightly  turned  to  the  left.  In  a  black 
doublet,  and  a  black  cap  which  has  a  placchetta  on  the 
left  side.  Long  hair  falling  onto  the  shoulders.  Red 
curtain  background. 

Wood,  19  by  13^4  inches. 

There  are  few  portrait  painters  who  have  been  more 
successful  in  creating  a  definite  style  of  their  own  than 
Giovanni  Boltraffio.  All  his  portraits  have  a  remark¬ 
ably  calm  and  dignified  appearance,  a  broad,  powerful 
form  and  a  deep  and  thoughtful  expression.  Although 
strongly  influenced  by  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  Boltraffio 
always  remains  an  individual  interpreter  of  human 
character.  He  interests  us  less  as  a  pupil  of  Leonardo 
than  as  an  excellent  representative  of  the  purely  Lom- 
bardic  trend  in  Italian  Renaissance  art,  at  the  end  of 
the  Fifteenth  Century. 

The  present  picture  may  be  compared  to  Boltraffio’s 
well  known  portrait  of  Girolamo  Casio  in  the  Brera 
Gallery  in  Milan,  a  man  of  the  same  full,  broad  type 
and  sedate  expression  as  the  model  in  this  portrait.  The 
peculiar  arrangement  of  the  cap  is  also  to  be  found  in 
other  portraits  by  Boltraffio. 


Lent  by  Win.  G.  Mather,  Esq. 


1213  3 


ANDREA  SOLARIO 
(Active  1493-1515) 


No.  86  The  Madonna  and  Child 

The  Virgin,  in  red  robe  and  blue  mantle  lined  with 
yellow,  holds  to  her  left  breast  the  nude  Infant  who  re¬ 
clines  in  her  arms.  A  red  curtain  in  the  right  back¬ 
ground.  A  peep  of  landscape  through  the  casement 
on  the  left. 

Canvas,  20  by  14  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  Pitti  collection,  Florence;  in  the 
Finzi  collection,  Cremona;  and  in  the  Crespi  Gallery, 
Milan. 

Berenson:  “Study  and  Criticism,”  1903,  Vol.  I,  p. 
107. 

Berenson:  “North  Italian  Painters,”  1907,  p.  294. 

Venturi:  “La  Galleria  Crespi,”  p.  230,  where  it  is 
dated  later  than  the  “Madonna”  in  the  Brera  but  earlier 
than  the  “Vierge  au  Coussin  Vert,”  of  the  Louvre. 

Rassegna  d’Arte,  1913,  p.  91. 

Fortunately  this  picture  is  so  well  known  and  ap¬ 
preciated  that  hardly  any  comment  is  called  for.  It  is 
indeed  one  of  the  most  attractive  Madonnas  by  Solario, 
and  if  we  have  to  compare  it  with  any  other,  it  should 
be  with  the  well  known  picture  representing  the  Holy 
Family  and  St.  Jerome,  dated  1495,  in  the  Brera  Gal¬ 
lery.  That  perhaps  is  the  loveliest  religious  painting 
by  the  master,  known.  The  present  Madonna  may  be 
a  few  years  later,  yet  it  has  the  same  tenderness  of  feel¬ 
ing  as  the  Brera  picture,  the  same  light  colour  and 
beautiful  landscape  view. 


[214] 


No.  86.  ANDREA  SOLARIO 


V. 


VENETIAN  AND  OTHER  NORTH  ITALIAN 

SCHOOLS 


SIMONE  DE  CUSIGHE 
(Active  1380-1410) 


No.  87  St.  Anthony  Abbot  and  Other  Saints, 

Enthroned 

Enthroned  in  the  centre  of  the  wide  and  architec¬ 
tural  setting  is  St.  Anthony  Abbot,  who  holds  his  bell  in 
his  right  hand  and  a  crozier  in  his  left.  On  the  extreme 
left,  and  equally  detached  from  the  other  Saints,  is  St. 
Jovita,  who  stands  on  a  spiked  wheel.  Between  that 
and  the  principal  figure  is  St.  Gottardo,  in  full  ecclesi¬ 
astical  robes.  On  the  right  are  St.  Bartholomew,  with 
his  knife;  and,  in  another  panel,  on  the  extreme  right, 
is  St.  Anthony  of  Padua,  holding  a  heart  in  his  right 
hand. 

Wood,  heightened  in  the  centre,  24^2  by  75  inches. 

Inscribed  in  the  centre  with  the  artist’s  name: 
“ Simon  Pinxit.” 

Simone  de  Cusighe  is  also  known  as  Simone  dal 
Peron,  both  Cusighe  and  Peron  being  names  of  villages 
near  Belluno.  He  is  one  of  the  best  known  Friulian 
painters  of  the  end  of  the  trecento.  In  1397  he  finished 
the  altarpiece  for  the  high  altar  in  the  Duomo  at 
Belluno;  he  died  before  1416.  Crowe  and  Caval- 
caselle  (“History  of  Painting  in  North  Italy,”  Vol. 
Ill,  p.  59),  mention  five  pictures  by  Simone  as  then  in 
the  Casa  Pagani  at  Belluno,  one  of  them  being  the 
picture  here  on  exhibition. 


[218  ] 


BARTOLOMMEO  VIVARINI 
(Active  1450-1499) 


No.  88  The  Adoration  of  the  Magi 

In  the  right  foreground  the  Virgin  is  seated  under 
the  porch  of  a  house,  in  the  doorway  of  which  stands 
a  serving  maid.  The  eldest  Mage  has  just  made  his 
offering,  which  Joseph  is  holding,  and  kneeling  rever¬ 
ently  he  touches  the  feet  of  Christ.  The  second  of  the 
Magi,  wearing  a  rich  head-dress,  is  about  to  offer  his 
present.  Behind,  and  more  to  the  left,  the  youngest 
of  their  number  stands  in  a  dignified  position.  In  the 
middle  distance,  to  the  right,  are  the  ox  and  ass,  and  in 
the  background  a  lake,  above  which  a  rocca  tapers  up 
into  the  sky  and  is  crowned  with  buildings.  In  the  left 
background  are  pages  exercising  the  horses  of  the 
Magi.  Six  small  groups,  of  five  cherubs,  five  seraphs 
each,  are  set  in  the  sky. 

Wood,  arched,  20y2  by  11  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  collection  of  Sir  William  N.  Abdy, 
and  sold  at  Christie’s,  May  5th,  1911,  No.  131. 

Berenson:  “Venetian  Painters  in  America,”  p.  15. 

This  picture,  which  is  one  of  Bartolommeo’s  earliest 
and  most  attractive  works,  has  been  well  analyzed  both 
from  an  aesthetic  and  stylistic  point  of  view  by  Dr.  Tan- 
cred  Borenius  in  an  article  in  the  Burlington  Magazine 
July,  1911,  from  which  the  following  lines  may  be 
quoted : 

“The  whole  picture  possesses  a  certain  graceful  gro¬ 
tesqueness  which  is  singularly  fascinating.  We  find 


[221] 


no  trace  here  of  the  monotonous  designer  of  enthroned 
Madonnas  and  Saints;  the  composition  is  quite  free  and 
yet  skillful.  The  distance  has  all  the  fancy  and  gaiety 
of  a  Carpaccio  background  in  nuce.  There  can  be  no 
doubt  that  the  exceptional  qualities  of  this  little  paint¬ 
ing,  in  a  large  measure,  are  due  to  an  impetus  received 
by  Bartolommeo  through  studying  the  works  of  Jacopo 
Bellini  and  Mantegna.  The  traces  of  their  combined 
influence  are  clearly  visible  in  it.” 


Lent  by  J.  Pierpont  Morgan,  Esq. 


No.  88. 


BARTOLOMMEO  VIVARINI 


No.  89.  BARTOLOMMEO  VIVARINI 


BARTOLOMMEO  VIVARINI 
(Active  1450-1499) 


No.  89  The  Madonna  and  Child,  with  Various 
Biblical  Scenes 

In  the  centre  panel  the  Madona’s  voluminous 
mantle  is  trimmed  with  pearls.  She  is  seated  on  a  cush¬ 
ion,  placed  in  a  flowery  meadow  bounded  by  trees  in 
full  fruit.  The  infant  wears  a  long  white  robe.  An 
angel  on  either  side,  in  the  gold  sky,  places  the  crown. 
In  the  left  foreground  kneels  the  diminutive  figure  of 
a  Dominican  nun,  with  hands  raised. 

In  the  left  and  right  lower  compartments  are  the 
Nativity  and  a  Pieta.  In  the  left  and  right  upper 
sections,  the  Annunciation. 

Wood,  each  panel  arched;  the  center  20^  by  17^ 
inches,  the  side  compartments  9l/2  by  9^  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  collection  of  the  Earl  of  Wemyss. 

Berenson:  “Venetian  Painting  in  America,”  1916, 
p.  18,  note. 

This  very  important  work,  from  the  finest  period 
of  Bartolommeo’s  artistic  activity,  has  many  obviously 
attractive  qualities,  and  consequently  hardly  requires 
any  comment  here.  It  is  strikingly  gay  and  brilliant  in 
colour,  and  appealing  as  illustration.  Nobody  can  see 
it  without  being  impressed  by  it. 

The  distance  between  this  picture  and  Mr.  Mor¬ 
gan’s  early  Epiphany,  both  in  spirit  and  execution,  is 
apparent,  and  might  indeed  afford  an  opportunity  for 
some  interesting  observations  as  to  Bartolommeo  Viva- 
rini’s  artistic  evolution. 


Lent  by  Philip  Lehman ,  Esq. 


[225  ] 


GREGORIO  SCHIAVONE 
(Active  1440-1470) 


No.  90  The  Madonna  and  Child 

The  Madonna  is  seen  at  half-length,  on  the  further 
side  of  a  parapet.  She  wears  a  richly  jeweled  crown, 
and  raises  her  right  hand  as  she  muses  over  the  Infant 
who,  covered  with  a  transparent  drapery,  reclines  in 
the  foreground  between  two  vases  of  long-stemmed 
lilies.  The  setting  is  architectural,  the  columns  being 
red  with  black  capitals.  A  richly  brocaded  hanging  of 
brown  and  gold,  below  the  niche  in  the  background. 
Wood,  27  by  20y2  inches. 

This  rather  stern  master  must  have  been  in  an  un¬ 
usually  sweet,  and  harmonious  mood  when  he  painted 
this  lovely  Madonna.  It  can  hardly  be  by  any  other 
known  painter;  it  is  too  fine  for  Benaglio,  or  any  other 
Veronese  follower  of  Squarcione.  The  Madonna’s 
essential  features  are  the  same  as  in  Schiavone’s  pic¬ 
ture  in  the  Turin  Gallery,  though  she  is  a  little  faint  in 
tone.  Her  gesture  expresses  that  capricious  refinement 
so  characteristic  of  the  master.  Happily  enough,  the 
archaeological  details,  which  are  so  abundant  in  Schia¬ 
vone’s  pictures,  are  here  relatively  few  and  arranged 
with  unusual  decorative  taste;  they  thus  produce,  in 
conjunction  with  the  golden  brocade,  the  white  lilies, 
and  the  red  ornamental  framework,  an  effect  that  is 
not  only  pleasing  but  captivating. 

hfy(s\ 

Lent  by  A.  Kingsley  Porter,  Esq. 


[226  ] 


GREGORIO  SCHIAVONE 


No.  91.  DOMENICO  MORONE 


DOMENICO  MORONE 
(1442-1503) 


No.  91  A  Dominican  Legend 

In  the  right  foreground  the  young  Lord  Napoleone, 
the  nephew  of  Cardinal  Stefano  di  Fossa  Nova,  has  just 
been  thrown  from  his  horse,  which  has  a  blue  saddle, 
and  been  killed  on  the  spot.  He  is  being  brought  back 
to  life  by  St.  Dominic,  who  makes  the  sign  of  the  Cross 
over  his  prostrate  form.  In  the  middle  distance,  Napo¬ 
leone,  now  revived,  is  presented  by  St.  Dominic  to  the 
Cardinal  who  is  attended  by  ecclesiastics  and  others. 
In  the  left  foreground  a  pair  of  figures  near  a  high  wall ; 
a  hound  lies  on  the  ground;  in  the  centre  background 
the  chapter-house;  an  owl  is  in  a  tree  on  the  farside  of 
the  embattled  wall;  on  the  right  is  a  church  with  a 
fresco  of  the  “Madonna”  in  the  lunette. 

Wood,  13  by  16  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  collection  of  John  Edward  Taylor, 
London,  and  sold  July  5,  1912,  No.  13,  under  the  name 
of  Jacopo  Bellini. 

Berenson:  “North  Italian  Painters,”  p.  266. 

This  little  picture  should  be  studied  in  connection 
with  another  small  painting  in  the  Ashmolean  Museum 
Oxford,  representing  a  Monk  preaching  in  a  Piazza. 
Both  pictures  have  been  justly  ascribed  by  Mr.  Beren¬ 
son  to  Domenico  Morone;  they  very  closely  approach 
in  style  the  large  composition,  formerly  in  the  Crespi 
Collection  in  Milan,  which  represents  the  fight  between 
the  Gonzaga  and  the  Buonacolsi  on  an  open  place  in 
Mantua.  That  is  signed  by  Morone  and  dated  1484. 
Unfortunately  the  frescoes  which  he  painted  in  Verona 
are  mostly  ruined  or  poorly  preserved.  The  present 
picture,  in  conjunction  with  the  two  others  mentioned 
above,  show  Morone  as  a  very  able  painter  of  architec¬ 
tural  views,  besides  being  an  entertaining  illustrator; 
he  may  in  this  respect  be  called  a  precursor  of  Canaletto 
and  the  other  Venetian  T’^wta-painters. 

Lent  by  Michael  Dreicer }  Esq. 

[329] 


DARIO  DI  GIOVANNI 
(Active  1420-1498) 


No.  92  St.  Bernardino  of  Siena 

Full  length  figure  of  the  Saint,  in  a  Franciscan 
habit,  and  girdle,  standing  towards  the  right  and  wear¬ 
ing  sandals.  A  red-bound  book  is  in  his  right  hand.  In 
his  left  he  holds  the  circular  tablet,  with  the  Sacred 
Monogram  carved  within  it.  The  mitre  by  his  left  side 
and  the  two  by  his  right  recall  that  the  bishoprics  of 
Siena,  Ferrara  and  Urbino  were  offered  to  him  in  vain. 
His  name  is  inscribed  across  the  panel. 

Wood,  canopied,  71  by  28  inches. 

This  characteristic,  and  decorative,  figure  of  St. 
Bernardino  is  evidently  the  work  of  a  painter  who  very 
strongly  felt  the  influence  of  the  Paduan  School  about 
the  middle  of  the  Fifteenth  Century.  The  hard  and 
minute  drawings  both  of  the  plants  and  the  figure,  and 
the  relief  work  in  the  decorative  details  prove  the  paint¬ 
er’s  connection  with  the  art  of  Squarcione  and  Crivelli. 
The  same  peculiarities  and  morphological  details  may 
be  observed  in  Dario  di  Giovanni’s  signed  altarpiece  in 
the  Museo  Civico  at  Bassano,  representing  the  Virgin 
of  Mercy  between  the  Baptist  and  St.  Bernardino;  par¬ 
ticularly,  the  very  characteristic  feet  and  hands  prove 
the  identity  of  the  master.  Dario  di  Giovanni,  called 
in  contemporary  documents  “Pictor  Vagabundus,” 
worked  in  the  Romagna  as  well  as  in  the  Veneto  (Asolo, 
Treviso,  Conegliano)  ;  his  art  is  a  typical  product  of 
the  Veneto-Romagnolo  current,  about  the  middle  of  the 
Fifteenth  Century. 


[230  1 


No.  92.  DARIO  DI  GIOVANNI 


No.  93.  FILIPPO  MAZZUOLA 


FILIPPO  MAZZUOLA 
(Active  1475-1505) 


No.  93  The  Madonna  and  Child,  with  St.  John 
and  St.  Catharine 

Three-quarter  length  figure  of  the  Madonna,  in 
red  robe,  cut  square  at  the  breast,  and  a  mantle  bordered 
with  gold.  She  is  seated  on  a  throne  which  has  a  cloth 
of  honour  with  a  red  and  white  edging.  Beneath  red 
curtains,  and  against  a  dark  background  stand  St.  John 
the  Baptist  on  the  left,  and  St.  Catharine,  with  her 
wheel,  on  the  other  side.  A  parapet,  with  the  inscrip¬ 
tion  in  the  cartel  unfortunately  obliterated. 

Wood,  32  by  20 inches. 

The  attribution  of  this  picture  to  Filippo  Mazzuola, 
is  based  more  on  its  general  eclectic  character,  in  which 
elements  from  Venice,  Verona  and  Parma  are  plainly 
discernible,  than  on  the  morphological  details.  Yet 
we  observe  such  features  of  the  Madonna  and  St. 
Catharine  as  the  small  mouth,  the  eyes  and  the  nose, 
which  are  very  similar  to  those  that  may  be  observed 
in  the  figures  in  Mazzuola’s  signed  altarpieces  in  Lon¬ 
don  and  Berlin;  the  St.  John  is  almost  the  same  figure 
as  the  Saviour  in  the  little,  signed  picture  by  Filippo 
Mazzuola  in  the  Raczynski  collection  in  Posen. 

The  picture  is  probably  an  early  work  by  Filippo, 
painted  about  1480,  or  a  little  later.  It  is  more  primi¬ 
tive  in  feeling,  and  more  provincial,  than  his  later 
works  in  which  the  Venetian  influence  becomes  more 
dominating. 


[233  ] 


LORENZO  LOTTO 
(1480-1557) 


No.  94  Portrait  of  a  Young  Man 

Half  length,  nearly  full  face.  In  a  black  doublet 
edged  with  fur,  and  a  black  cap.  His  left  hand  is 
gloved,  and  he  holds  the  other  in  his  right.  He  has  long 
hair  and  a  beard.  Grey  background. 

Canvas,  Ziy2  by  25  inches. 

About  1854  in  the  collection  of  the  Duke  of  Devon¬ 
shire  ;  and  seen  by  Waagen  (“Art  Treasures,”  Yol.  Ill, 
p.  345),  who  first  attributed  it  to  Lorenzo  Lotto. 

Subsequently  in  the  collection  of  Count  Goloubew, 
Paris. 

Graves:  “Summary  of  Waagen,”  p.  112.. 

Evidently  a  late  work,  painted  after  1545,  but 
still  reflecting  Lotto’s  appealing  power  of  human 
characterization. 


[234] 


No.  95.  MARCO  PALMEZZANO 


MARCO  PALMEZZANO 
(1456-1543) 


No.  95  The  Madonna  and  Child,  with  Saints 

Sm'all  half  length  figures  seen  on  the  far  side  of  a 
parapet.  The  Virgin,  with  folded  hands,  contem¬ 
plates  the  Infant  who,  nude,  is  seated  in  the  immediate 
foreground.  Behind  Him  is  St.  John  the  Baptist,  and 
more  to  the  left  St.  Joseph.  On  the  right  St.  Catharine, 
with  the  palm  branch.  Architectural  background  on 
the  left;  on  the  right  a  landscape,  the  Annunciation  to 
the  shepherds,  and  an  Anchorite  in  the  Desert. 

Wood,  24  by  36  inches. 

Signed,  in  a  cartel  on  the  parapet:  “Marchus  palm- 
ezanus,  pictor  foroliniensis,  faciebat,  1525.” 

Formerly  in  the  Collection  of  Charles  Butler  at 
Hatfield,  Herts. 


Lent  by  Michael  Friedsam,  Esq. 


[237  ] 


ZAGANELLI  DA  COTIGNOLA 
(Active  1495-1518) 


No.  96  St.  Lucy 

Full  length,  standing  on  a  terrace  in  front  of  the 
crenellated  walls  of  a  castle.  In  a  richly  brocaded 
gown,  bordered  with  pearls,  and  a  dark  red  mantle 
lined  with  blue.  -Her  hair  falls  in  profusion  onto  her 
shoulders.  In  her  raised  right  hand  she  holds  a  dag¬ 
ger;  in  her  left  is  a  dish,  in  which  float  her  eyes.  Two 
angels  on  small  clouds  hold  the  crown  of  marytrdom 
above  her  head.  Gold  background. 

Wood,  73  by  29  inches;  the  top  of  the  panel  cut 
away  at  the  corners. 

This  statuesque  figure  of  St.  Lucy  is  a  character¬ 
istic  work  from  the  studio  of  the  Zaganelli  brothers, 
Francesco  and  Bernardo.  It  is  difficult  to  tell  which 
of  the  two  brothers  painted  this  figure,  because  they  co¬ 
operated  very  closely.  They  jointly  signed  many  of 
their  works.  Francesco,  however,  was  the  better 
artist  and  the  leader  of  the  workshop  at  Cotignola, 
Bernardo  being  his  assistant. 

This  picture  stands  on  a  level  with  the  paintings  that 
the  brothers  executed  conjointly.  It  may  be  compared 
with  the  large  altarpiece  in  the  Brera  Gallery,  dated 
1499,  in  which  exactly  the  same  facial  type  and  the 
same  sculpturesque  treatment  of  the  folds  are  again 
found. 


[  238  ] 


No.  96. 


ZAGANELLI 


No.  97.  BON  I  FAZIO  DEI  PITATI 


BONIFAZIO  DEI  PITATI 
(1487-1553) 


No.  97  The  Infant  Moses  in  Pharaoh's  Palace 

The  Infant  is  in  his  cradle  to  the  left,  on  the  raised 
terrace  of  an  Italian  palace;  he  is  the  object  of  much 
attention  on  the  part  of  four  of  the  gaily  attired  ladies 
of  the  court.  In  the  centre  Pharaoh,  led  by  his 
daughter  and  accompanied  by  courtiers  and  senators, 
advances  towards  the  infant,  while  other  figures  in 
Venetian  costume  hurriedly  approach  from  the  right. 
Small  whole  length  figures.  A  wide  landscape  in  the 
background. 

Canvas,  9^4  by  40  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  Collection  of  Charles  Butler. 

Exhibited  at  Burlington  House,  1881,  No.  202. 

In  the  sale  of  the  Butler  Collection,  May  25,  1911, 
No.  106. 

This  graceful  little  picture  is  an  excellent  example 
of  Venetian  cassones  which,  by  the  way,  are  much  less 
numerous  than  Florentine  cassones  during  the  Renais¬ 
sance.  It  has  all  the  charm  of  glowing  colour  and  light 
that  we  find  in  Bonifazio’s  large  pictures,  but  at  the 
same  time  more  intimacy  and  naturalness  than  his 
mostly  over-crowded  altarpieces  have.  It  shows  how 
free  the  Venetians  were  in  the  interpretation  of  Biblical 
motives,  and  how  wrell  they  understood  how  to  fuse  a 
traditional  story  into  a  setting  of  contemporary  archi¬ 
tecture  and  actual  landscape  views. 


1241] 


GIROLAMO  MAZZUOLA 
(1500-1569) 


No.  98  Portrait  of  Ottaviano  Farnese,  Second 
Duke  of  Parma 

Three-quarter  length.  Turned  to  the  left,  but  look¬ 
ing  toward  the  right.  He  wears  a  rich  red  underdress, 
breast-plate  with  lance-rest,  rere-brace  and  vambrace, 
the  taces  being  attached  by  dark  blue  velvet  ties;  a 
white  tournament  scarf  with  thin  black  stripes  is  on  his 
left  arm,  and  a  red  scarf  over  his  shoulder.  The  right 
hand  rests  on  a  blue  plumed  helmet,  placed  on  a  table 
by  his  side. 

Canvas,  50  by  40}4  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  collection  of  Duca  di  Cardinale, 
Naples,  subsequently  in  that  of  Principe  Del  Drago, 
at  Rome. 

Girolamo  Mazzuola  (Bedoli),  the  central  master 
of  the  Parma  School  about  the  middle  of  the  Sixteenth 
Century,  is  well  known  through  a  number  of  interesting 
pictures  from  the  Farnese  collections  in  Parma  and 
Naples.  We  wish  in  this  connection  particularly  to 
draw  attention  to  the  portrait  of  a  “Man  with  an  Hour 
Glass”  in  the  Parma  Gallery,  and  to  the  representation 
of  the  “Adoration  of  the  Child  by  Various  Saints”  in 
the  Museum  at  Naples.  In  both  of  these  pictures  may 
be  observed  the  same  prominent  hands  with  very  long 
separated  fingers,  as  in  the  present  portrait,  and  the 
same  peculiar  drawing  of  the  heads  with  a  tendency 


[242] 


No.  98.  GIROLAMO  MAZZUOLA 


towards  elongation  of  the  features,  as  well  as  the  char¬ 
acteristic  form  of  the  ears.  Girolamo  Mazzuola  was  a 
very  fluent  master  of  the  brush,  more  nervous  and  mod¬ 
ern  in  feeling  than  Moroni  (to  whom  this  picture  was 
once  ascribed),  and  a  more  vivid  colourist. 

The  identification  of  the  person  can  be  proved  by 
some  medals  representing  Ottaviano  Farnese,  two  of 
which  were  executed  by  Pastorino  in  1552  and  1556. 
(Compare  UJ ahrbuch  der  Kunsthistorischen  Sammlun- 
gen”  Wien,  1891,  pi.  VIII,  1,  10.) 

The  likeness  between  the  head  in  this  painting  and 
that  of  the  earlier  medal  is  striking.  In  the  later 
medal,  the  beard  of  the  man  is  already  grown  a  little 
longer,  and  the  face  has  become  somewhat  fuller. 
Ottaviano  Farnese  was,  according  to  Litta  (“Famiglie 
Celebri”),  born  in  1524,  and  was  thus  at  the  time 
of  the  execution  of  the  first  medal  28  years  old,  an  age 
which  seems  to  correspond  with  that  of  the  man  repre¬ 
sented  in  the  present  picture. 

Ottaviano  married  Margaret  of  Austria,  the  daugh¬ 
ter  of  Charles  V,  in  1539,  and  died  in  1580.  He  was, 
with  all  his  vices  and  virtues,  a  characteristic  Farnese 
prince,  prominent  in  the  political  intrigues  of  the  time, 
and  one  of  the  proteges  of  Pope  Alexander  III. 


[245  ] 


JACOPO  TINTORETTO 
(1518-1594) 


No.  99  Portrait  of  a  Young  Man 

Three-quarter  length;  three-quarters  to  the  right. 
In  a  black  doublet  with  small  ruff,  a  thin  gold  chain 
and  a  girdle.  Short  brown  beard  and  full  lips.  He 
holds  his  gloves  in  his  left  hand;  his  right  hand  to  his 
waist.  Neutral  background. 

Canvas,  35  by  27  inches. 


Lent  by  Michael  Friedsam,  Esq. 


[246] 


No.  99.  JACOPO  TINTORETTO 


No.  100.  JACOPO  TINTORETTO 


JACOPO  TINTORETTO 
(1518-1594) 


No.  100  Portrait  of  a  Young  Man 

Half  length  figure,  turned  three-quarter  to  the  left. 
In  a  black  doublet  with  a  white  ruff.  Red  curtain  on 
the  right;  background  to  the  left  of  neutral  tone. 

Canvas,  25  by  21  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  collection  of  Baron  Schacky,  at 
Munich. 

Considerable  difference  in  style  and  quality  may  be 
observed  between  the  two  portraits  by  Tintoretto  here. 
The  larger  one  is  a  fine  early  work,  revealing  memories 
from  Titian’s  workshop,  yet  more  romantic  in  senti¬ 
ment,  more  appealing  in  its  presentation  of  the  human 
motive  than  in  most  of  Titian’s  works.  It  may  be  com¬ 
pared  with  Tintoretto’s  portrait  in  the  Prado  Gallery 
at  Madrid,  of  about  1530,  and  takes  a  prominent  place 
among  the  early  works  of  the  master. 

The  smaller  portrait,  representing  a  “Young  Man” 
in  black  silk  dress,  is  a  characteristic  example  of  that 
larger  group  of  Tintoretto’s  portraits  which  were  exe¬ 
cuted  after  the  middle  of  the  Sixteenth  Century. 


[249] 


LEANDRO  BASSANO 
(1559-1622) 


No.  101  Portrait  of  Agostino  Barbarigo 

The  Doge  has  a  long,  grey  beard  and  blue  eyes.  He 
is  seen  at  three-quarters  length,  and  is  turned  three- 
quarters  to  the  right.  Habited  in  the  full  robes  of  his 
office,  he  wears  a  rich,  broad  mantle  of  gold  and  lemon- 
toned  damask,  decorated  with  floriated  designs  and 
lined  with  crimson  silk,  full  sleeves  edged  with  ermine, 
and  a  linen  cap  under  his  corno  (or  ducal  cap)  ;  a  red 
curtain,  and  an  architectural  setting.  On  the  pedestal 
on  the  right  is  a  heraldic  escutcheon  which,  however, 
is  not  charged  with  his  arms. 

Canvas,  68  by  53  inches. 

Born  in  1419,  he  was  Podesta  of  Verona  and  Padua, 
and  Procurator  of  San  Marco  before  bowing  himself 
onto  the  ducal  throne  as  seventy-fourth  Doge  of  Venice 
in  1486,  at  the  age  of  66.  One  of  the  most  important 
events  in  his  dogado  was  his  official  reception  of 
Beatrice  d’Este.  His  portrait  is  seen  in  the  altarpiece 
of  the  “Madonna,  with  St.  Agostino  and  St.  Marco 
with  Angels,”  in  the  Church  of  St.  Pietro  Martire  at 
Murano. 

Formerly  in  the  collection  of  the  Gradenigo  family, 
one  of  the  most  ancient  in  the  Veneto  and  one  which 
gave  two  Doges  to  the  republic.  Subsequently  in  the 
possession  of  Antonio  Gradenigo  circa  1860. 

The  attribution  as  well  as  the  identity  of  the  Doge 
was  determined  by  Mr.  Berenson  on  the  basis  of  the 
portrait,  bearing  the  name  of  Gentile  Bellini,  in  the 
collection  of  Lord  Harcourt,  at  Nuneham,  near  Oxford. 


[2S0J 


No.  101.  LEANDRO  BASSANO 


■  .V 


SICILIAN  SCHOOL 


SICILIAN  PAINTER 
(Late  Fifteenth  Century) 


No.  102  The  Annunciation 

The  Virgin  kneels  in  her  bed  chamber  before  her 
Prie-Dieu,  on  which  is  an  open  Book  of  Hours.  Her 
long,  flowing  mantle  is  of  gold  brocade.  In  a  recess  at 
the  back  is  her  bed.  In  the  centre  is  a  vase  containing 
lilies,  past  which  the  Holy  Dove  flies  towards  the 
right.  On  the  left  kneels  the  Archangel  Gabriel,  hold¬ 
ing  the  scroll  inscribed :  “Ave  Gracia  plena .  Dominus 
te\_cum\.”  A  landscape  seen  through  the  casement. 

Wood,  16$4  by  21  inches. 

Formerly  in  the  collection  of  Arthur  Hughes, 
London. 

The  peculiar  mixture  of  Venetian  and  Flemish  ele¬ 
ments  of  style  in  this  picture  makes  it  probable  that  it 
was  painted  in  Sicily,  where  these  currents  from  dif¬ 
ferent  schools  crossed.  It  is  the  work  of  a  painter  of 
the  end  of  the  Fifteenth  Century  who,  after  he  had  felt 
some  influence  from  Antonello  da  Messina’s  art,  came 
in  contact  with  Flemish  painting. 


[  254  ] 


No.  102.  SICILIAN  PAINTER 


INDEX  OF  ARTISTS 


Page  No. 

Angelico,  Fra . SO 

Antoniazzo  Romano . 205 

Antonio  da  Viterbo . 202 

Avanzi,  Jacopo  degli . 186 

Baldese,  Ambrogio  di . 45 

Baronzio  da  Rimini,  Giovanni . 181 

Bartolommeo  di  Giovanni . 81 

Bartolommeo  di  Giovanni . 85 

Bartolommeo  di  Giovanni . 86 

Bassano,  Leandro . 250 

Benvenuto  di  Giovanni . 170 

Bologna,  Simone  da . 189 

Boltraffio,  Giovanni  Antonio . 213 

Bonfigli,  Benedetto . 193 

Bonifazio  dei  Pitati . 241 

Bonsi  da  Firenze,  Giovanni . 38 

Botticelli,  Sandro . 74 

Bronzino,  Angelo . 106 

Buonacorso,  Niccolo  di . 142 

Castagno,  Andrea  del . 58 

Cavallini,  Pietro . 178 

Cione,  Jacopo  di  .........  26 

Cione,  Jacopo  di . 29 

Cione,  Nardo  di . 25 

Credi,  Lorenzo  di . 93 

Cusighe,  Simone  de . 218 

Daddi,  Bernardo . 17 


[257  ] 


Daddi,  Bernardo . 18 

Dario  di  Giovanni . 230 

Domenico,  Pietro  di . 173 

Duccio,  Follower  of . 113 

Fiorentino,  Pier  Francesco . 90 

Fiorenzo  di  Lorenzo . 201 

Florentine  Painter  About  1450  65 

Foppa,  Vincenzo  . . 210 

Francesco  di  Giorgio . 162 

Francesco  di  Giorgio . 165 

Gaddi,  Agnolo . 33 

Gaddi,  Taddeo . 13 

Garbo,  Raffaellino  del . 97 

Ghirlandaio,  Domenico . 69 

Ghirlandaio,  Ridolfo . 105 

Gerini,  Niccolo  di  Pietro . 37 

Giorgio,  Francesco  di . 162 

Giovanni  dal  Ponte . 42 

Giovanni  Francesco  da  Rimini  .....  198 

Guido  da  Siena  . . 110 

Granacci,  Francesco . 98 

Granacci,  Francesco  .  101 

Gualdo,  Matteo  da  . . 194 

Lippi,  Fra  Filippo,  Follower  of . 61 

Lorenzetti,  Ambrogio  ........  129 

Lorenzo,  Fiorenzo  di . 201 

Lorenzo  Monaco . 41 

Lotto,  Lorenzo  .........  234 

Mainardi,  Bastiano  . 73 

Margaritone  d’Arezzo . 10 

Matteo  da  Gualdo . 194 


[258  ] 


Mazzuola,  Filippo . 233 

Mazzuola,  Girolamo . 242 

Monaco,  Lorenzo . 41 

Morone,  Domenico . 229 

Neroccio  . 169 

Niccolo  di  Pietro  Gerini . 37 

Nuzi,  Alegretto . 182 

Nuzi,  Alegretto . 185 

Nuzi,  Alegretto  ..........  185 

Orcagna,  Andrea  .........  21 

Pacchiarotto  . 174 

Palmezzano,  Marco . 237 

Paolo,  Giovanni  di . 145 

Paolo,  Giovanni  di . 146 

Paolo,  Giovanni  di . 149 

Paolo,  Giovanni  di  .  150 

Paolo,  Giovanni  di . 153 

Paolo,  Giovanni  di . 154 

Paolo,  Giovanni  di . 157 

Paolo  di  Stefano . 49 

Parri  Spinelli . 46 

Penni,  Gianfrancesco . 206 

Pesellino,  Francesco  (?).......  53 

Piero  di  Cosimo . 94 

Pier  Francesco  Fiorentino . 90 

Pietro  di  Domenico . 173 

Pitati,  Bonifazio  dei . 241 

Pollaiuolo,  Piero . 77 

Ponte,  Giovanni  dal . 42 

Rimini,  Giovanni  Francesco  da . 198 

Romano,  Antoniazzo . 205 


[  259  ] 


Rosselli,  Cosimo 

....  89 

Sano  di  Pietro  . 

....  158 

Sano  di  Pietro 

....  161 

Sassetta  [Stefano  di  Giovanni] 

....  137 

Sassetta  [Stefano  di  Giovanni] 

....  141 

Schiavone,  Gregorio 

....  226 

Segna  di  Bonaventura  . 

....  117 

Segna  di  Bonaventura  . 

....  118 

Sicilian  Painter  . 

....  254 

Siena,  Guido  da 

....  110 

Simone  da  Bologna 

....  189 

Simone  Martini  . 

....  121 

Simone  Martini  . 

....  122 

Simone  Martini  . 

....  125 

Simone  Martini  . 

....  126 

Solario,  Andrea  . 

....  214 

Spinelli,  Parri  . 

....  46 

Stamina,  Gherardo  . 

....  34 

Taddeo  di  Bartolo  . 

....  130 

Tintoretto,  Jacopo  . 

....  246 

Tintoretto,  Jacopo  . 

....  249 

Tura,  Cosimo 

....  197 

Vecchietta,  Lorenzo 

....  133 

Veneziano,  Domenico  . 

....  57 

Viterbo,  Antonio  da 

....  202 

Vivarini,  Bartolommeo  . 

....  221 

Vivarini,  Bartolommeo  . 

....  225 

Zaganelli  da  Cotignola  . 

. 

....  238 

[260  ] 


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